Best "Village Vanguard" or "Blue Note" recording


Many of the great jazz artists seem to have recorded an album at either the Village Vanguard or the Blue Note at some point in their careers, which leads me to the following question: which of the albums recorded at these venues would you rank as the greatest and why?

Some followup possibilities: Do you think playing at one of these venues affects the nature of the artist's performance? i.e., do shows at these venues cause artists to take more risks? play more popular songs? elevate their playing?

Finally, if you have attended shows at both venues, which was your favorite and why?
swingman

Showing 1 response by albertporter

Bill Evans: The Final Village Vanguard Sessions June, 1980.

This is on Mosiac (LP) MQ10-171, and in my opinion represents the finest performance of Bill Evans career.

The passing of Bill Evans on September 15, 1980 was a sad day for me. While listening to this performance I wonder if he somehow knew this was his last chance at creative and sonic perfection. Regardless of state of mind, he achieved both.