Tag: Oscar Peterson

Title: Oscar Peterson – Travelin’ On (1968) [Reissue 2003]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO

Travelin’ On captures a memorable Oscar Peterson Trio concert recorded in Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer’s studio. Featuring bassist Sam Jones and drummer Bobby Durham, Peterson passionately performs the gospel classic “Travelin’ On.” The trio delivers a stunning ten-minute rendition of Johnny Mandel’s ballad “Emily,” retaining its emotional depth. Durham’s soft percussion sets up Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Corcovado,” which Peterson dominates with virtuosic technique. Francy Boland’s “Sax No End,” a recent composition, is reimagined by Peterson’s uptempo, big-band-like interpretation. Jones’ agile bass and Durham’s steady drums enhance the track. Peterson’s extended take on Benny Carter’s “When Lights Are Low” feels refreshingly new. Part of the Exclusively for My Friends series, Travelin’ On is highly recommended.

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Title: Oscar Peterson – The Way I Really Play (1968) [Reissue 2003]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO

The third volume of Oscar Peterson’s Exclusively for My Friends series, all recorded with an invited audience in the warm studio of producer Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, features live trio sessions with bassist Sam Jones and drummer Bobby Durham. The program opens with an unusual medley of Ray Brown’s “Waltzing Is Hip” (played with gusto) and a gently swinging “Satin Doll.” The influence of Art Tatum is apparent during his intricate runs within “Love Is Here to Stay,” while the multifaceted original “Sandy’s Blues” (dedicated to his wife) combines a dark mood with a swinging setting. The lighthearted waltzing treatment of “Alice in Wonderland” is pure joy, while another original, “Noreen’s Nocturne,” is simply a showstopper.

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Title: Oscar Peterson – Girl Talk (1968) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2011]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO

One of a number of memorable albums recorded by Oscar Peterson for MPS during the mid-’60s, Girl Talk was compiled from several live studio sessions taped between 1964 and 1966, with bassist Sam Jones and either Bobby Durham or Louis Hayes on drums. Peterson’s romping right hand helps this normally bland show tune. The pianist’s imaginative unaccompanied introduction to “I’m in the Mood for Love” adds a new dimension to this old chestnut, with the rhythm section making a belated entrance; it is rather unusual to hear the trio play on just one song for 17 minutes. The title track, an overlooked gem jointly written by Bobby Troup and Neal Hefti, finds the leader in a bluesy mood. The relaxed but jaunty treatment of “Robbin’s Nest” follows a powerful medley of “I Concentrate on You” and “Moon River” to wrap up this highly recommended session.

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Title: Oscar Peterson – Action (1968) [Reissue 2003]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO

Oscar Peterson developed a friendship with Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, who proceeded to record the pianist in his first-rate studio beginning in the early ’60s, even though Peterson was under an exclusive contract to Verve at the time. The solution to this problem was to wait until after it expired, and then a number of these sessions were released on various BASF or MPS LPs (and later on Pausa LP reissues). Action represents some of Peterson’s earliest work for Brunner-Schwer; these sessions were recorded before an invited audience in the studio, with the pianist’s working trio of Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen. The group seems extremely relaxed and inspired by the small group of loyal fans, with a brisk waltz treatment of “At Long Last Love” and an extended workout of fellow pianist Billy Taylor’s ballad “Easy Walker” starting things off with a flourish. Their approach to “Tin Tin Deo” is remarkably subtle, while Peterson is at his most lyrical during a pair of Gershwin selections, “I’ve Got a Crush on You” and “A Foggy Day.” The influence of Art Tatum is apparent with Peterson’s darting runs in “Like Someone in Love”.

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