Verve Mondays plays Bill Evans’ California Here I Come in full on Monday, November 2nd, 2026, at 6:30 PM. Then, around 8, the night turns to John Coltrane’s 1961 Village Vanguard recordings. It is free at Kissa Kissa, the Japanese-style jazz vinyl listening bar at 667 Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
California Here I Come: Bill Evans at the Village Vanguard, 1967
Despite the title, Evans made California Here I Come in New York, across two nights at the Village Vanguard in 1967. In other words, that was six years after Sunday at the Village Vanguard and Waltz for Debby. He played as a trio with Eddie Gómez on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums, through fifteen tunes that include “’Round Midnight,” “Stella by Starlight” and “Alfie.” However, Verve only released it in 1982, two years after Evans died.
The Verve Vault double LP of California Here I Come
Our copy is the new Verve Vault Series reissue, out October 9th. For this edition, Ryan K. Smith cut both LPs from the original analog tapes at Sterling Sound, and they are pressed on 180-gram vinyl. uDiscover has the full story of the reissue.
After California Here I Come, Coltrane’s Vanguard
After the last side ends, around 8 PM, the room moves to Coltrane 100: The Village Vanguard, 1961, night two. In fact, it is the second of four nights we play in performance order from The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings, with Eric Dolphy and Reggie Workman on the stand.
Free and open to the public. No cover, no ticket.
Visiting Kissa Kissa in Crown Heights
Verve Mondays run all year at Kissa Kissa, one Verve record each week on the house system, and this week it is California Here I Come. Walk-ins are welcome. Hours and directions are on the visit page, and the Verve Mondays series page has the rest of the season.
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