You wouldn't know it by looking at my blog but I am a fan of jazz and moments ago I just learned of the passing of an all-time great and one of my personal favorites on Sunday... this busy pre-Christmas weekend got in the way of my keeping in touch with the latest news. Oscar Peterson was an unbelievable talent and a true master...R.I.P. Oscar Peterson
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Oscar Peterson made two trips through the Gershwin repertoire, one in 1952 and another in 1959 after the advent of stereo. As with Oscar Peterson Plays the Duke Ellington Songbook, this disc compiles both sessions, the earlier one with a trio of guitarist Barney Kessel and bassist Ray Brown, the later one with Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen. The later session is programmed first. The earlier grou...
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One of the best ways that anyone can conceived for sending everyone off onto a weekend full of sunshine and joy is to listen to the ever swinging Oscar Peterson with his sweeping, free and easy style at the keyboard. Although Peterson was well-known to the Canadians since the late 1940's, his debut at Carnegie Hall in 1953 reveals so much about the man and his way with time honored classics. On...
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Another fine one by Oscar Peterson, "When Lights Are Low" comes from the France of 1923 with original words in French by Rene Brisson and an English version of the music and words by Gus Kahn, Ted Koehler and band leader Ted Fiorito. It's a slow paced performance with all of the familiar runs on the keyboard by Oscar Peterson at his very best. You can clearly hear the awe in my friend's voice.
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Barbara Streisand had the good fortune to star in both the original Broadway production and film musical version of lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Burton Lane's 1966 stage musical "On a Clear Day" which mixed hypnotism and psychiatry to blend into a musical exposing the previous lives of a young woman and her many loves in her lives. Oscar Peterson turns the music into a lively romp for ...
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The late Neal Hefti excelled at writing and arranging music which transcended styles and eras. One of his most successful film scores was the 1965 biographical picture detailing the life of blond bombshell Jean Harlow. The theme to this movie and"Girl Talk" will forever be identified with the name of Neal Hefti. Although Jack Jones had a hit record with "Girl Talk," Oscar Peterson proves that t...
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A Duke Ellington alumni Barney Bigard, is responsible for coming up with the simple blues riff in C. It was recorded for RCA Victor in 1942 and has since become a jazz standard known and loved by every listener and performer. Ed Thigpen and Ray Brown keep things swinging while Oscar Peterson relays the Ellington inspired piano riff before taking flights of fantasy with his facile reading of thi...
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One of the pleasures of the Pablo Record label in the 1970s was the widest of all possible ranges of styles and tonal pallette, thanks in no small part to record producer and music promoter Norman Granz's imaginative ideas. Here we are faced with a sinuously sensual performance of Lionel Hampton's classic song "Midnight Sun" as performed on April 25, 1978 by Sarah Vaughan with Oscar Peterson at...
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"Easy Does It" reminds us to be gentle to ourselves and not burden ourselves with more than what we can handle. This is Oscar Peterson's approach as he lays down the easy-going, good natured mood of this work with a medium tempo rendition that is very relaxing sounding. Ray Brown maintains the pulse on his double bass better than anyone else could have done and Ed Thigpen adds little rhythmic f...
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The third and last song (or aria) from George Gershwin's 1935 opera "Porgy and Bess" is "It Ain't Necessarily So," first sung by John W. Bubbles on stage and on film by Sammy Davis, Jr. Although the song is anti-religious in words, the music is set squarely in a gospel atmosphere with plenty of call and responses. Russ Garcia understands this most perfectly in an arrangement which pits Oscar Pe...
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here doing his own thing on Jorge Ben's 1963 hit, which Wikipedia tells me reached Number One on the Brazilian charts back then
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Reknowned jazz pianist Oscar Peterson died from kidney failure Sunday (Dec. 23) at his home in Mississauga, a Toronto suburb, according to Oliver Jones, a family friend and jazz musician. He was 82 years old.Peterson performed with such jazz superstars as Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie.Duke Ellington referred to him as "Maharajah of the keyboard," while Count Basie once said "...
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One of the unexpected hits of 1950 was "Night Train," a funky, driving piece recorded by trombonist Buddy Morrow and his orchestra which revived, to a significant degree, the big band sounds. However, the work itself was based closely on Duke Ellington's much older piece "That's the Blues, Old Man" of 1940 which was expanded into "Happy-Go-Lucky-Local" which was part of the four movement concer...
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In 1954, Oscar Peterson and jazz clarinetist Buddy DeFranco recorded an album full of George Gershwin songs with arranger Russ Garcia on the podium conducting a 24 piece orchestra. Along with Peterson, be-bop clarinetist Buddy DeFranco was also an added pallette to this landscape along with Peterson's Trio: Ray Brown on bass, Ed Thigpen on drums and Herb Ellis on guitar. Together, they collabor...
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Oscar Peterson (1925 - 2007) was known as the Maharajah of the piano because of his fantastic technique which he learned from both his sister and his most important mentor, Art Tatum. After a strong introduction on piano, Oscar Peterson plays a great version of "Robbin's Nest" that is as solidly in the pocket as a cue ball after a perfect strike. And why shouldn't this be a great performance wh...
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