Waltz for Debby (song)

"Waltz for Debby" is a jazz standard composed by pianist Bill Evans, which became "his most famous tune." He first recorded it as a brief solo piano piece on his debut album, New Jazz Conceptions (1956). Lyrics were added about six years later by Evans's friend Gene Lees. "Debby" in the composition's title refers to Evans's then 3-year-old niece, Debby Evans, whom he often took to the beach.

The "definitive performance" of the piece is usually considered to be the live recording from the third set on 25 June 1961 at the Village Vanguard by the classic Bill Evans Trio featuring bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. (It was also recorded as part of the second set, and that less famous version, take 1, has been made available on various releases as a bonus track.)

Evans later accompanied vocal versions of the waltz by both Monica Zetterlund (in Swedish) and Tony Bennett (the only time Evans made a recording with the Gene Lees lyrics). Including many posthumous releases, several dozen recordings of the waltz by Evans are now in circulation. His final recording of it dates from 7 September 1980, live at the Keystone Korner, just eight days before he died.

The waltz has been widely covered and recorded more than 300 times. Ted Gioia notes that in about 20% of cover versions, "Debby" is misspelled as "Debbie." "Waltz for Debby" is known in Swedish by the name "Monicas Vals"; lyrics were written by Beppe Wolgers; and in Finnish by the name "Ankin Valssi"; lyrics were written by Jukka Kuoppamäki.

Evans had a particular fondness for the waltz form: Of his 50+ original compositions, at least 10 are waltzes, including "Very Early" (1949), "G Waltz" (1967), "B Minor Waltz" (1977), and "We Will Meet Again" (1977), and he frequently performed waltzes by others, such as Earl Zindars's "Elsa" and Gary McFarland's "Gary's Theme."

Personnel
On New Jazz Conceptions (1956):
 * Bill Evans – piano

On Waltz for Debby (1961):
 * Bill Evans – piano
 * Scott LaFaro – bass
 * Paul Motian – drums

Some Notable Recordings by Evans

 * New Jazz Conceptions (1956)
 * Know What I Mean? (March 1961, Cannonball Adderley with Bill Evans)
 * Waltz for Debby (June 1961) (The track also appears on The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961, along with an alternate take)
 * 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)
 * Bill Evans: Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz (1978, released 1989)
 * His Last Concert in Germany (recorded 1980, released 1989)

Some Notable Recordings by Others

 * Oscar Peterson – Affinity (1962)
 * Johnny Hartman – The Voice That Is! (1964)
 * Earl Klugh – Earl Klugh (album) (1976)
 * Ahmad Jamal – Live at Bubba's (1981)
 * George Shearing – Bill Evans: A Tribute by various pianists (1982)
 * David Benoit – This Side Up (1985), Standards (2006) and Heroes (2008)
 * the Kronos Quartet with Eddie Gómez – Music of Bill Evans (1986)
 * Ellyn Rucker – This Heart of Mine (1989)
 * Ralph Towner – Open Letter (1991)
 * John McLaughlin – Time Remembered: John McLaughlin Plays Bill Evans (1993)
 * Jean-Yves Thibaudet – Conversations with Bill Evans (1997, transcribed by Jed Distler from Evans's 1978 performance on McPartland's show)
 * Don Sebesky – I Remember Bill: A Tribute to Bill Evans (1998)
 * Tierney Sutton – Blue in Green (2001, medley with "Tiffany")
 * Chick Corea and Gary Burton – The New Crystal Silence (2008)
 * Eliane Elias – Something for You: Eliane Elias Sings & Plays Bill Evans (2008)

Awards

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