Waltz for Debby (song)

"Waltz for Debby"
Song by Bill Evans from the album New Jazz Conceptions
Released	1956
Genre	Jazz
Length	01:20
Composer(s)	Bill Evans
New Jazz Conceptions track listing
"Speak Low" (7) "Waltz for Debby" (8) "Our Delight" (9)

"Waltz for Debby" is a jazz standard composed by Bill Evans. A piano trio jazz waltz, it was first recorded on Evans's 1956 album New Jazz Conceptions (by unaccompanied piano), and on his 1961 live album Waltz for Debby. It has been recorded by many artists, both as an instrumental and as a vocal piece. The song's lyrics were written by Gene Lees.^[1]

"Debby" in the song title refers to Evans' niece, Debby Evans.

The song is also known in Swedish by the name "Monicas Vals", with lyrics by Beppe Wolgers, and in Finnish by the name "Ankin Valssi", with lyrics by Jukka Kuoppamäki.^[2]

Awards

• Don Sebesky: Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement (from I Remember Bill: The Tribute to Bill Evans, 1999)^[3]
• Gary Burton and Chick Corea: Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (from The New Crystal Silence, 2008)^[4]

Personnel

On New Jazz Conceptions (1956):

• Bill Evans – piano

On Waltz for Debby (1961):

• Bill Evans – piano
• Scott LaFaro – bass
• Paul Motian – drums

Renditions

By Evans

• New Jazz Conceptions (1956)
• Waltz for Debby (1961) (The track also appears on The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961, along with an alternate take)
• Know What I Mean? (1961, Cannonball Adderley with Bill Evans)
• Waltz for Debby (1964, with Monica Zetterlund)
• You're Gonna Hear From Me (recorded 1969, released 1988)
• The Bill Evans Album (1972)
• The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album (1975, with Tony Bennett)

By others

• Oscar Peterson – Affinity (1962), Nigerian Marketplace (1981), Freedom Song (1982), The Lamp is Low (1994)
• Johnny Hartman – The Voice That Is! (1964)
• Ankí - Sateen Jälkeen (1967)
• Earl Klugh – Earl Klugh (1976)
• David Benoit - This Side Up (1985), Standards^[5] (2006) and Heroes (2008)^[6][7]
• Masahiko Satoh - "As If..." (1985)
• Kronos Quartet - Music of Bill Evans (1986) - w. Eddie Gomez (bass)
• David Matthews – Waltz for Debby (1987)
• Ralph Towner – Open Letter (1991)
• John McLaughlin – Time Remembered: John McLaughlin Plays Bill Evans (1993)
• The Real Group – Live in Stockholm (1996)
• Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Conversations With (1997)
• Ilse Huizinga – Voices Within (1999)
• Don Sebesky – I Remember Bill: The Tribute to Bill Evans (1999)
• Al Jarreau – Accentuate the Positive (2004)
• The University of Memphis Jazz Singers - Memphis Jazz Box (compilation set) (2004)
• Marc Secara - You're Everything (2008)
• Niño Josele – Paz (2006)
• Realtime - Ain't That A Kick (2006)
• Gary Burton and Chick Corea – The New Crystal Silence (2008)
• Eliane Elias - Something for You: Eliane Elias Sings & Plays Bill Evans (2008)
• Kenichiro Nishihara and Maia Hirasawa – Sweet Swing for Hershey's (2011)

Notes

1. The Rough Guide to Jazz: The Essential Companion To Artists and Albums. Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather, Brian Priestley and Charles Alexander. Rough Guides, 2004. ISBN 1-84353-256-5. p.249
2. Sakta vi gå genom stan – Det bästa at Allmusic - retrieved on 26 May 2009
3. Don Sebesky awards at Allmusic - retrieved on 26 May 2009
4. 51st Grammy Awards winners Archived October 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. at grammy.com - retrieved on 26 May 2009
5. "Standards overview". Allmusic.com.
6. "Heroes overview". Allmusic.com.
7. "Heroes : David Benoit : Concord Music Group". Concord Music Group.

External links

• "Waltz for Debby" at jazzstandards.com