Larry McDonough: Conversations with Bill Evans Live – CD Release
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Larry McDonough Returns to The Dakota
CD Release for Conversations with Bill Evans Live and
Performance of June 25, 1961 - Bill Evans Trio at the Village Vanguard
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
7:00 p.m.
The Dakota
1010 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis
612-332-1010
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Larry McDonough, piano
Greg Stinson, bass
Dean White, drums
Tickets
https://bit.ly/4x0E8HN
Facebook Event
https://www.facebook.com/events/2112790776788643
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Award-winning pianist, composer, and singer Larry McDonough returns to bring the legendary pianist and composer Bill Evans back to life in a solo and trio show covering the music and personal life of Bill Evans that has filled rooms in across the country. The show includes solo piano, trio, voice, spoken word, and commentary on the life of Bill Evans.
Evans performed on the Miles Davis album "Kind of Blue" in 1959, the best-selling jazz album ever. His trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian introduced simultaneous improvisation and is regarded as a seminal modern jazz trio. He received 31 Grammy nominations and seven awards, and was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.
McDonough recorded shows around the United States in 2024 and 2025 for his new CD, Conversations with Bill Evans Live. After releasing it in Berkeley in May, he now releases it in Minnesota at the Dakota. He will perform selections from the CD in the first 30 minutes.
Then he will be joined by the Larry McDonough Trio, with Greg Stinson, bass, and Dean White, drums, performing music of the early Bill Evans Trio, with Bill Evans, bassist and composer Scott Lafaro, and drummer Paul Motian on June 25, 1961 at the Village Vanguard. “Sunday at the Village Vanguard” and “Waltz for Debby” were the last recordings of this trio on June 25, 1961, as LaFaro died in a car accident just ten days after the live date at the Village Vanguard. The trio revolutionized jazz, with each member improvising at the same time while performing recognizable pieces.
Selections from Conversations with Bill Evans Live:
https://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com/ConversationswithBillEvansLiveCD.html
● Turn Out the Stars, composed by Bill Evans - https://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com/files/ConversationswithBillEvans/Turn_Out_the_Stars.mp3
● Improvisations, written by Richard Terrill - https://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com/files/ConversationswithBillEvans/Improvisations.mp3
● Waltz for Bill Composed and Performed by Larry McDonough -
Larry McDonough Trio Performing June 25, 1961 - Bill Evans Trio at the Village Vanguard
● Sample - http://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com/files/June251961/June_25__1961_-_Sample.mp3
● Gloria’s Step -
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Bill Evans
Bill Evans was born William John Evans on August 16, 1929, and was one of the most influential jazz pianists in history. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, complex rhythms, and simultaneous improvisation of group members redefined groups, composition, and jazz pianists. He performed on the Miles Davis album “Kind of Blue” in 1959, the best-selling jazz album ever. His trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian introduced simultaneous improvisation and is regarded as a seminal modern jazz trio. In 1963, Evans recorded Conversations with Myself, a solo album produced with over-dubbing technology allowing him to perform with himself. He later collaborated with the singer Tony Bennett on two critically acclaimed albums: The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album (1975) and Together Again (1977). His last trio included bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe LaBarbera. Evans died on September 15, 1980 at age 51 in New York City. He received 31 Grammy nominations and seven awards, and was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Evans
Larry grew up listening and transcribing Evans’ music, having seen his live performances in the 1970s. His shows and recordings feature the music of Evans. Larry has become friends with Evans’ widow Nenette, who supports Larry’s projects and provides him with some of Bill Evans’ manuscripts. Larry is the only Minnesotan invited to study the Bill Evans Archive at the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies of Southeastern Louisiana University. Movie director Bruce Spiegel chose Larry to host Minnesota showings of his documentary film “Bill Evans Time Remembered.” Jazz curator Steve Kenny has called Larry the Bill Evans scholar of Minnesota.
Nenette Evans said: “The Evans family is so grateful that Larry McDonough has chosen to remember my late husband Bill Evans. I like what Max Gordon said about Bill Evans in his book concerning his experiences as owner of the famed Village Vanguard club, where Bill eventually became a regular: ‘The first time Bill Evans played the Village Vanguard, he was the intermission pianist for the Modern Jazz Quartet. The room was quiet when they played. When Bill Evans played the MJQ fans wondered, ‘Who the hell was that?' They'd never heard of him. He was filling space in between for the star attraction. Today Bill is the star attraction. When Bill Evans plays, the Village Vanguard becomes Town Hall.’”
Here is some of the story of Bill Evans.
Bill Evans: Time Remembered – Official Trailer
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Larry McDonough is an award-winning St. Paul jazz composer, pianist, singer, and teacher, performing around the world and recording with his group the Larry McDonough Quartet as well as solo, and in duos and trios. He has performed with legendary saxophonist and composer Benny Golson, Trombonist Fred Wesley, and trumpeters Lew Soloff and Duane Eubanks, as well as a who’s who of local jazz artists, and was inducted into the Minnesota Rock Country Hall of Fame for his work in the group Danny’s Reasons. His awards include the American Composers Forum Showcase Award for the composition “Strait of Gibraltar.”
He has released twelve CDs and DVDs as a leader. His current CDs are “Best of the Aster Classic Jazz Series” and “Intermodulating Undercurrents Live at the Kos: The Music of Bill Evans and Jim Hall.” “Kind of Bill on the Palace Grounds, Marking 40 Years since the Death of Bill Evans,” was played on jazz radio stations and streaming services around the country. The two-CD set “Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures” has played on radio stations and streaming services around the world and charted #18 on the Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Jazz Album Chart. “Simple Gifts” reached number 29 on the CMJ Jazz Chart and also has been played on hundreds of stations around the country and throughout the world.
He has released 13 CDs and DVDs as a leader. His current CDs are “Conversations with Bill Evans Live,” “Best of the Aster Classic Jazz Series” and “Intermodulating Undercurrents Live at the Kos: The Music of Bill Evans and Jim Hall.” “Kind of Bill on the Palace Grounds, Marking 40 Years since the Death of Bill Evans,” was played on jazz radio stations and streaming services around the country. The two-CD set “Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures” has played on radio stations and streaming services around the world and charted #18 on the Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Jazz Album Chart. “Simple Gifts” reached number 29 on the CMJ Jazz Chart and also has been played on hundreds of stations around the country and throughout the world.
His other jazz projects include Roma Jazz (music of Stéphane Grappelli with Duke Ellington), Fusebox (original jazz fusion trio) and Trios Trio (classic jazz). When not playing jazz, he performs jam fusion in Quantum Mechanics, funk in Funkin’ Right, Steely Dan covers in Steely Ann, classic rock in Whiskey Burn, indie-rock in HiFi, and punk in Saint Small. He also is a lawyer and law professor selected by William Mitchell College of Law as one of “100 Who Made a Difference” over the 100-year history of the school.
http://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com/Biography.html
Bassist Greg Stinson plays in several bands around the Twin Cities. He has been the bass player in the Century College Jazz Ensemble for more than 25 years. He also plays in the CC Septet, Shorn Hortz Quintet, Paul Berger Trio, the St. Croix Jazz Ensemble, and regularly subs with the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Classic Big Band, and Cedar Avenue Big Band. Greg spent many years playing saxophones, guitar, bass, and vocals in jazz/rock and variety bands in the area. He is an active composer/arranger with jazz charts in the books of the Century Band, Nova, CC Septet, and others. He has also written a number of choral arrangements and compositions for school and church groups. Greg was a band and choir director in public and private schools before changing to his career in telecommunications technology, now retired.
Drummer Dean White grew up in Superior, Wisconsin, and played in various working bands while attending the University of Wisconsin, Superior. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in percussion performance, he moved to Hollywood, California, to attend Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music. Half-way through the first year, Dean was offered a main showroom gig at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. He was the first drummer in the Legends In Concert Show that still performs in various incarnations across the country today. He left Las Vegas to join Tony Axtell and Toshi Hinata in Tokyo to write and play original music. Since settling back in the Twin Cities, Dean has performed with many groups, including Good, the Bad and the Funky; the Autobody Experience; Century Big Band; Nova Jazz; Big Time Jazz Orchestra; the Shorn Hortz jazz quintet; Power of 10; Jack Knife and the Sharps; Tubby Esquire; Hennessy Brothers jazz; and many others. He has also studied privately with Gordy Knudtson and his Open/Close hand technique. Dean feels blessed to be part of the rich music scene in the Twin Cities.
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Contact information:
Larry McDonough
Larry McDonough Jazz
651-398-8053
[email protected]
http://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com
https://www.facebook.com/LarryMcDonoughJazz/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKz_nYdKTNUPhIGk44jCb_Q
CD Release for Conversations with Bill Evans Live and
Performance of June 25, 1961 - Bill Evans Trio at the Village Vanguard
Tuesday, August 4, 2026
7:00 p.m.
The Dakota
1010 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis
612-332-1010
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Larry McDonough, piano
Greg Stinson, bass
Dean White, drums
Tickets
https://bit.ly/4x0E8HN
Facebook Event
https://www.facebook.com/events/2112790776788643
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Award-winning pianist, composer, and singer Larry McDonough returns to bring the legendary pianist and composer Bill Evans back to life in a solo and trio show covering the music and personal life of Bill Evans that has filled rooms in across the country. The show includes solo piano, trio, voice, spoken word, and commentary on the life of Bill Evans.
Evans performed on the Miles Davis album "Kind of Blue" in 1959, the best-selling jazz album ever. His trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian introduced simultaneous improvisation and is regarded as a seminal modern jazz trio. He received 31 Grammy nominations and seven awards, and was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.
McDonough recorded shows around the United States in 2024 and 2025 for his new CD, Conversations with Bill Evans Live. After releasing it in Berkeley in May, he now releases it in Minnesota at the Dakota. He will perform selections from the CD in the first 30 minutes.
Then he will be joined by the Larry McDonough Trio, with Greg Stinson, bass, and Dean White, drums, performing music of the early Bill Evans Trio, with Bill Evans, bassist and composer Scott Lafaro, and drummer Paul Motian on June 25, 1961 at the Village Vanguard. “Sunday at the Village Vanguard” and “Waltz for Debby” were the last recordings of this trio on June 25, 1961, as LaFaro died in a car accident just ten days after the live date at the Village Vanguard. The trio revolutionized jazz, with each member improvising at the same time while performing recognizable pieces.
Selections from Conversations with Bill Evans Live:
https://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com/ConversationswithBillEvansLiveCD.html
● Turn Out the Stars, composed by Bill Evans - https://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com/files/ConversationswithBillEvans/Turn_Out_the_Stars.mp3
● Improvisations, written by Richard Terrill - https://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com/files/ConversationswithBillEvans/Improvisations.mp3
● Waltz for Bill Composed and Performed by Larry McDonough -
Larry McDonough Trio Performing June 25, 1961 - Bill Evans Trio at the Village Vanguard
● Sample - http://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com/files/June251961/June_25__1961_-_Sample.mp3
● Gloria’s Step -
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Bill Evans
Bill Evans was born William John Evans on August 16, 1929, and was one of the most influential jazz pianists in history. His use of impressionist harmony, block chords, complex rhythms, and simultaneous improvisation of group members redefined groups, composition, and jazz pianists. He performed on the Miles Davis album “Kind of Blue” in 1959, the best-selling jazz album ever. His trio with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian introduced simultaneous improvisation and is regarded as a seminal modern jazz trio. In 1963, Evans recorded Conversations with Myself, a solo album produced with over-dubbing technology allowing him to perform with himself. He later collaborated with the singer Tony Bennett on two critically acclaimed albums: The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album (1975) and Together Again (1977). His last trio included bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe LaBarbera. Evans died on September 15, 1980 at age 51 in New York City. He received 31 Grammy nominations and seven awards, and was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Evans
Larry grew up listening and transcribing Evans’ music, having seen his live performances in the 1970s. His shows and recordings feature the music of Evans. Larry has become friends with Evans’ widow Nenette, who supports Larry’s projects and provides him with some of Bill Evans’ manuscripts. Larry is the only Minnesotan invited to study the Bill Evans Archive at the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies of Southeastern Louisiana University. Movie director Bruce Spiegel chose Larry to host Minnesota showings of his documentary film “Bill Evans Time Remembered.” Jazz curator Steve Kenny has called Larry the Bill Evans scholar of Minnesota.
Nenette Evans said: “The Evans family is so grateful that Larry McDonough has chosen to remember my late husband Bill Evans. I like what Max Gordon said about Bill Evans in his book concerning his experiences as owner of the famed Village Vanguard club, where Bill eventually became a regular: ‘The first time Bill Evans played the Village Vanguard, he was the intermission pianist for the Modern Jazz Quartet. The room was quiet when they played. When Bill Evans played the MJQ fans wondered, ‘Who the hell was that?' They'd never heard of him. He was filling space in between for the star attraction. Today Bill is the star attraction. When Bill Evans plays, the Village Vanguard becomes Town Hall.’”
Here is some of the story of Bill Evans.
Bill Evans: Time Remembered – Official Trailer
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Larry McDonough is an award-winning St. Paul jazz composer, pianist, singer, and teacher, performing around the world and recording with his group the Larry McDonough Quartet as well as solo, and in duos and trios. He has performed with legendary saxophonist and composer Benny Golson, Trombonist Fred Wesley, and trumpeters Lew Soloff and Duane Eubanks, as well as a who’s who of local jazz artists, and was inducted into the Minnesota Rock Country Hall of Fame for his work in the group Danny’s Reasons. His awards include the American Composers Forum Showcase Award for the composition “Strait of Gibraltar.”
He has released twelve CDs and DVDs as a leader. His current CDs are “Best of the Aster Classic Jazz Series” and “Intermodulating Undercurrents Live at the Kos: The Music of Bill Evans and Jim Hall.” “Kind of Bill on the Palace Grounds, Marking 40 Years since the Death of Bill Evans,” was played on jazz radio stations and streaming services around the country. The two-CD set “Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures” has played on radio stations and streaming services around the world and charted #18 on the Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Jazz Album Chart. “Simple Gifts” reached number 29 on the CMJ Jazz Chart and also has been played on hundreds of stations around the country and throughout the world.
He has released 13 CDs and DVDs as a leader. His current CDs are “Conversations with Bill Evans Live,” “Best of the Aster Classic Jazz Series” and “Intermodulating Undercurrents Live at the Kos: The Music of Bill Evans and Jim Hall.” “Kind of Bill on the Palace Grounds, Marking 40 Years since the Death of Bill Evans,” was played on jazz radio stations and streaming services around the country. The two-CD set “Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures” has played on radio stations and streaming services around the world and charted #18 on the Roots Music Report’s Top 50 Jazz Album Chart. “Simple Gifts” reached number 29 on the CMJ Jazz Chart and also has been played on hundreds of stations around the country and throughout the world.
His other jazz projects include Roma Jazz (music of Stéphane Grappelli with Duke Ellington), Fusebox (original jazz fusion trio) and Trios Trio (classic jazz). When not playing jazz, he performs jam fusion in Quantum Mechanics, funk in Funkin’ Right, Steely Dan covers in Steely Ann, classic rock in Whiskey Burn, indie-rock in HiFi, and punk in Saint Small. He also is a lawyer and law professor selected by William Mitchell College of Law as one of “100 Who Made a Difference” over the 100-year history of the school.
http://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com/Biography.html
Bassist Greg Stinson plays in several bands around the Twin Cities. He has been the bass player in the Century College Jazz Ensemble for more than 25 years. He also plays in the CC Septet, Shorn Hortz Quintet, Paul Berger Trio, the St. Croix Jazz Ensemble, and regularly subs with the Nova Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Classic Big Band, and Cedar Avenue Big Band. Greg spent many years playing saxophones, guitar, bass, and vocals in jazz/rock and variety bands in the area. He is an active composer/arranger with jazz charts in the books of the Century Band, Nova, CC Septet, and others. He has also written a number of choral arrangements and compositions for school and church groups. Greg was a band and choir director in public and private schools before changing to his career in telecommunications technology, now retired.
Drummer Dean White grew up in Superior, Wisconsin, and played in various working bands while attending the University of Wisconsin, Superior. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in percussion performance, he moved to Hollywood, California, to attend Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music. Half-way through the first year, Dean was offered a main showroom gig at the Imperial Palace in Las Vegas. He was the first drummer in the Legends In Concert Show that still performs in various incarnations across the country today. He left Las Vegas to join Tony Axtell and Toshi Hinata in Tokyo to write and play original music. Since settling back in the Twin Cities, Dean has performed with many groups, including Good, the Bad and the Funky; the Autobody Experience; Century Big Band; Nova Jazz; Big Time Jazz Orchestra; the Shorn Hortz jazz quintet; Power of 10; Jack Knife and the Sharps; Tubby Esquire; Hennessy Brothers jazz; and many others. He has also studied privately with Gordy Knudtson and his Open/Close hand technique. Dean feels blessed to be part of the rich music scene in the Twin Cities.
♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬ ♪ ♬
Contact information:
Larry McDonough
Larry McDonough Jazz
651-398-8053
[email protected]
http://larrymcdonoughjazz.homestead.com
https://www.facebook.com/LarryMcDonoughJazz/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKz_nYdKTNUPhIGk44jCb_Q
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1010 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN, United States, Minnesota 55403
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