All of You on a Sunday at the Village Vanguard

Everyday can be like Sunday at the Village Vanguard during these times of crisis. "All of You" has rarely been interpreted more superbly than Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro's emotionally moving and lyrical take.

Wes Montgomery's All of You

I'm still a novice to Wes Montgomery, but he's growing on me as a potential favorite guitarist. This live performance of one of my favorite standards shows an impeccable sense of swing and playfulness I love. It's a shame that so much of Montgomery's recorded later work does not do justice to his talents, but his brilliance shines here. Cole Porter must be smiling from beyond the grave...

McCoy Tyner's All of You

McCoy Tyner playing one of my favorite standards with Bob Cranshaw and Mickey Roker at Newport. I usually prefer Tyner with at least a quartet because an additional horn or two adds some extra depth to his chromatic playing. Near the song's end, Tyner hints at his more eccentric style that I associate with his Coltrane years and solo work in the the late 1960s and 1970s. The dependable Bob Cranshaw also gets a little solo, too, which is standard but gets the job done. Unforutnately, Coltrane never recorded "All of You" with Tyner on piano, but I can see it going even better than Wynton Kelly's accompaniment. 

Cole Porter's Smiling From Heaven

Just made the cut as my favorite rendition of Cole Porter's "All of You" is a live performance in Paris from MIles Davis and John Coltrane. Although I was always drawn to recordings form his later quintet with Wayne Shorter's bluesy solos, Coltrane is majestic here with his sheets of sound. Coltrane's unique sound reminds one of Dolphy's transitional work before he blossomed, and one detects the same transitional phase in Coltrane as his improvisational skills and composing pushed him toward the revolutions he was soon about to make.