Waltz for Debby (song)

{{Infobox song

| name = Waltz for Debby

| cover =

| alt =

| type = song

| artist = Bill Evans

| album = New Jazz Conceptions

| released = {{Start date|1956}}

| format =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Jazz

| length = {{Duration|m=01|s=20}}

| label =

| composer = Bill Evans

| lyricist = Gene Lees

| producer =

}}

"Waltz for Debby" is a jazz standard composed by pianist Bill Evans, which became "his most famous tune."Pettinger, Peter, Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings, Yale University Press (1998), p. 24. 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.{{cite book |last1=Alexander |first1=Charles |last2=Carr |first2=Ian |last3=Fairweather |first3=Digby |last4=Priestley |first4=Brian |title=The Rough Guide to Jazz |date=2004 |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=1-84353-256-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/roughguidetojazz00carr/page/249 249] |edition=3rd |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetojazz00carr/page/249 }} "Debby" in the composition's title refers to Evans's then 3-year-old niece, Debby Evans, whom he often took to the beach.

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|width=|caption = Beginning of Waltz for Debby{{Cite book |last1 = Evans |first1 = Bill |author-link1 = Bill Evans |last2=Lees |first2=Gene |author-link2=Gene Lees |contribution=Waltz for Debby |title=The Real Book. C Instruments |date=2006 |publisher=Hal Leonard |isbn=978-0-634-06038-0 |edition=6 |volume=1 |location=Milwaukee, WI|url=https://archive.org/details/The_Real_Book_Sixth_Edition_volume_1/page/432/mode/1up|page=432}}|align=center

}}

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.{{cite book |last1=Gioia |first1=Ted |title=The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-19-993739-4 |pages=444–446}} (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."Bill Evans Discography," https://www.jazzdisco.org/bill-evans/discography/, JAZZDISCO.org, Accessed 28 May 2024.

The waltz has been widely covered and recorded more than 300 times."Waltz for Debby," https://secondhandsongs.com/work/51835/versions#nav-entity, SecondHandSongs.com, Accessed 28 May 2024. 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.[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1383334|pure_url=yes}} Sakta vi gå genom stan – Det bästa] at AllMusic - retrieved on 26 May 2009

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),Murray, J. Williams, "Billy's Touch: An Analysis of the Compositions of Bill Evans, Billy

Strayhorn, and Bill Murray" (March 2011), https://www.towson.edu/cofac/departments/music/programs/gradperformance/documents/recitalresearchpapermurray.pdf, p. 22, Accessed 28 May 2024. and he frequently performed waltzes by others, such as Earl Zindars's "Elsa" and Gary McFarland's "Gary's Theme."Pettinger, pp. 104 & 245.