Peterson The Way

Oscar Peterson has stated that he feels his MPS recordings are his finest. That is quite a statement considering the huge amount of records that the pianist has produced through the past 50 years. This set reissues the music from six of his MPS LPs: Action, Girl Talk, The Way I Really Play, My Favorite Instrument, Mellow Mood, and Travelin' On. While some of the performances feature the 1963 trio he had with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen, most of the music dates from 1967-1968 and matches Peterson with bassist Sam Jones and either Louis Hayes or Bobby Durham on drums. A special treat is Peterson's first unaccompanied solo album, which fills up the final LP. Peterson's many fans know what to expect in this set, while other listeners need to discover him to realize what all of the fuss was about. Quite simply, Oscar Peterson has long been one of the greatest pianists the world has ever known; this reissue offers plenty of proof.

“The beauty of Oscar Peterson’s sound has never been as superbly captured as this.“ (Jazz critic Gene Lees in the original liner notes) When the world-renowned Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson came to Villingen in 1961, there was a mood of intense excitement all round.

"The addition of Barney Kessel took a lot of pressure from Ray and myself…we have the effect of three different voices, three different approaches to jazz in the trio…" - Oscar Peterson

Oscar Peterson's "The Will to Swing" is a must-have for every jazz lover's CD collection, yet surprisingly few people seem to know about it. A chronological compilation of Peterson performances from 1949 through 1971, this album showcases one of the all-time great jazz pianists. Peterson is quick, he's talented, he's definitely a master but he's so relaxed and so affable that none of the performances come across as contrived or forced. There are lots of songs here you'll recognize, "Fascinating Rhythm," "Tenderly," "I've Got a Crush On You" and more, but the gems tend to be those that aren't so familiar…..

“I like the way Oscar sings standards, and when I am of a mind to hear them in a pop groove, I wish he'd sing more often. You certainly can't fault his time or intonation, nor at any occasion, his intelligence.” Nat Hentoff (1957)

Many an Oscar Peterson collection no doubt will be issued after his passing from here to eternity, and people who are indeed newly dazzled by his virtuosity might purchase them. Those who are existing fans might want to judiciously pick and choose their favorites, though. This double-CD, 38-track set falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. It's a good, not great, and at times inconsistently programmed project, though Peterson's playing is beyond reproach. There are two originals from the great Canadian "Debut" and "Salute to Garner" and the rest are standards. A portion of the Cole Porter numbers and a large slice of Duke Ellington's material are strung together at the end of the first disc leading up to the second. Reproduced in the Czech Republic, this is a fairly decent idea, but straight collections from the Verve or Pablo labels may prove more reliable.

Called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, received the Order of Canada and is considered to have been one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. This new biography from award-winning author Jack Batten, promises to tell Oscar Peterson's story in acomplete, compelling and sympathetic way. This is first biography of Oscar Peterson for young people.

"I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You" is the 11th studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. Released on March 10, 1967 by Atlantic Records, It went to #2 on the Billboard album chart and #1 on the magazine's Black Albums chart. It was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1967. It received a #83 ranking on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time and inclusion in both the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (2005) and 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die (2008). The album included two top-10 singles: "Respect" was a #1 single on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop singles chart, and "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" peaked at #9.