Oscar Peterson Gillespie

This album was the first of five projects in which pianist Oscar Peterson dueted with a trumpeter. Now reissued on CD, the encounter finds Dizzy Gillespie (then 57) in good form for the period, interacting with Peterson on such pieces as "Caravan," "Autumn Leaves," "Blues for Bird" and two of Gillespie's originals that have become standards: "Dizzy Atmosphere" and "Con Alma." It's a worthy acquisition for fans of Peterson and Gillespie.

Teaming together Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge should result in some classic music, but by 1975, Eldridge (although still a fierce competitor) was past his prime and Gillespie was starting to fade. The material performed for this CD reissue is just not all that inspiring - a few overly played standards and blues. Despite some good efforts by Gillespie and Eldridge, pianist Oscar Peterson easily emerges as the most impressive soloist; better to acquire the magnificent collaborations of the 1950s instead.

This CD is a straight reissue of a Pablo LP. Norman Granz teamed together the very distinctive trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard and Clark Terry with pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Bobby Durham for a "Trumpet Summit." This particular release features (with one exception) unissued material from the session. There are four versions of a slow blues (only the fourth was released before), all of which have very different solos from the three trumpeters. In addition they interact on "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" and share the spotlight on a three-song ballad medley; Hubbard's "Here's That Rainy Day" is hard to beat.

This LP finds pianist Oscar Peterson at a transitional point in his career. Louis Hayes was the new drummer in his trio and, although veteran Ray Brown was on bass during the earlier of the two sessions, he would depart by 1966 (after 15 years) and be replaced by Sam Jones. However, the basic sound of the Oscar Peterson Trio remained unchanged (Peterson was the dominant voice anyway) and the personality of the group remained intact. Peterson contributed three originals (including the hard-swinging title cut) to this program and also sounds typically fine on "Let's Fall in Love," "The Shadow of Your Smile," "If I Were a Bell," and a definitive version of "Stella by Starlight."

This is one of the best post-stroke Oscar Peterson sessions in the catalog, thanks in great part to the distinguished company he keeps (Ray Brown and Milt Jackson) and the stimulating atmosphere of the live setting (New York's Blue Note club). Right from the first track, "Ja-Da," you can tell that this is going to be a fun session, as the slippery, swinging, totally interlocked, totally assured way in which these vets react to each other kicks in immediately. Peterson's right hand is fleet, feathery in touch, and bluesy in feel; the left providing just enough punctuation, and at 75, Jackson's bluesy eloquence had not diminished in the least. Ray Brown's time and placement of notes is, as usual, impeccable, and the very talented drummer in his group at the time, Karriem Riggins, provides a swinging kick for the quartet. In the spirit of democracy, each star gets a solo number - Peterson plays his ballad "When Summer Comes"…

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.

Pianist Oscar Peterson's Frank Sinatra tribute features his trio (with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen) playing easy listening jazz versions of a dozen songs associated with the singer. The renditions are all under four minutes and are highlighted by "Come Dance with Me," "Just in Time," "I Get a Kick Out of You," and "How About You?" This is not one of Oscar Peterson's most essential dates, but it is swinging and enjoyable.

One of many Pablo albums taken from the 1977 Montreux Jazz Festival, this outing teams pianist Oscar Peterson, bassist Niels Pedersen, and drummer Bobby Durham with tenorman Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and trumpeters Clark Terry and Dizzy Gillespie. The talented (and very competitive) players really dig into the opening uptempo blues ("Ali and Frazier") and they continue cooking on "If I Were a Bell," "Bye Bye Blues," "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," and "Just in Time." As often happens in this type of situation, the musicians mutually inspire each other. This is one of Dizzy Gillespie's better sessions of the '70s; in fact, there are no losers during these battles.

There are at least five Oscar Petersons on display on this comprehensive box set representing his work with the legendary Norman Granz and celebrating his 80th birthday on Aug. 15th, 2005. CDs 1-5 feature Oscars' work interpreting the Great American Songbook where he and Granz "tried to draw more people into jazz." CD 6 contains his first session with Granz as he accompanies Billie Holiday on 16 sides that show his talent as an accompanist. CDs 7-8 capture Oscars' collaboration with 4 tenor sax men: Lester Young, Ben Webster, Stan Getz and Dizzy Gillespie, plus a rare session with Flip Phillips. CDs 9-10 feature the entire 1954 issue from the Jazz At The Philharmonic, including Oscar playing with Lester Young, Bill Harris and Ray Brown.

Vibraphonist Lionel Hampton and pianist Oscar Peterson are the stars of this delightful collection of jazz recordings supervised by producer Norman Granz over an almost exactly 12-month period extending from 1953 to 1954. Granz's marvelous knack for bringing together excellent musicians resulted in the combined presence of trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Gillespie, trombonist Bill Harris, clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, tenor saxophonists Ben Webster and Flip Phillips, guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Buddy Rich. The combination of musical minds is extraordinary, and Hamp's amazing wavelength is dependably positive and uplifting.