Oscar+peterson

Two classic albums on one CD, 2012 new digital remaster with full original album art in booklet. Oscar Peterson's 1962 album, Oscar Peterson Plays: West Side Story, features the pianist and his trio with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen, reinterpreting compositions from the classic 1961 film version of the Broadway musical. This is a highly engaging album that showcases Peterson's trio at their finest, with some truly inventive takes on such songs as "Somewhere," "Tonight," and "Maria." Oscar Peterson's 1959 album, Play Porgy & Bess, features the pianist and his trio (with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen) explore ten of the stronger themes from George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess. It is true that Peterson's version of "Summertime" will not make one forget the classic rendition by Miles Davis with Gil Evans but, as is true with all of these performances, Peterson makes the melodies sound like his own. "It Ain't Necessarily So" and "I Got Plenty O' Nuttin"' are among the more memorable selections.

Those who consider themselves Oscar Peterson completists should be aware of The London House Sessions, a generous five-LP set that focuses exclusively on the Peterson Trio's 1961 engagement at Chicago's London House. However, completists are the only ones who would want to invest in this collection; others would be better off with individual LPs of the pianist's London House performances. One such LP is the Verve Master Edition of The Sound of the Trio, which was recorded in July 1961 and contains performances of "Tricotism," "On Green Dolphin Street," and "III Wind. Although not among Peterson's essential recordings – you won't find a lot of surprises here – the material is consistently enjoyable. Peterson, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Ed Thigpen, clearly enjoy a strong rapport, and the trio never fails to swing.

This album is quite unusual. Recorded shortly after Nat King Cole's death, pianist Oscar Peterson takes vocals on all but one of the dozen selections, sounding almost exactly like Cole. Peterson, who rarely ever sang, is very effective on the well-rounded program, whether being backed by a big band (arranged by Manny Albam) on half of the selections or re-creating both the spirit of the Nat King Cole Trio and his own group of the late '50s during a reunion with guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown.

Oscar Peterson - Remastered Anniversary Edition: Reissue of the nine celebrated MPS studio albums, recorded in Germany in the 1970s. Accompanying Oscar Peterson's 80th birthday on August 15, 2005. For the first time reissued with original cover artwork and original liner notes. Featuring new liner notes by Dr. Richard Palmer, co-author of the Oscar Peterson autobiography My Jazz Odyssey. New 192kHz/24-bit remastering, supervised by original album producer Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer.

This set contains three of the 1951/52 and 1959 songbooks Peterson recorded for Norman Granz. The 1951 tracks feature Peterson on piano, accompanied by Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Brown on bass. The first disc in this set is the Cole Porter songbook. The 1951 tracks were recorded for the Mercury label and stretched out over three sessions in Los Angeles in November 1951, and February and December 1952. The 1959 tracks were recorded in a marathon session for Verve at the Universal Recording studio in Chicago between July 14 and August 9, 1959. Disc Two is the Ellington songbook that was recorded in Los Angeles for Mercury in December 1952 and Verve during the Chicago session. Disc Three is the Gershwin songbook that was recorded during the same time frames and locations as the Ellington one.

This single-disc Oscar Peterson collection, Oscar Peterson Plays the Best of the Great American Songbooks, culls tracks from throughout the pianist's career. Primarily, the focus here is on Peterson's takes on standard songs by such composers as Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, and others. Included are songs like "That Old Black Magic," "Blue Moon," "A Fine Romance," and more.

A pleasant compilation of Oscar Peterson tracks with Ed Thigpen, Louis Hayes, Bobby Durham, and others sitting in, all anchored by Peterson's classic version of "Fly Me to the Moon," originally written by Bart Howard in 1954.

George Gershwin's folk opera has been a source of inspiration for countless jazz musicians. This 1959 recording with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen (who had replaced guitarist Herb Ellis the previous year) features some of Peterson's most impassioned and bluesy playing. With the addition of a drummer, he was liberated from rhythm duties to become the trio's dominant solo voice. Producer Norman Granz, who frequently featured Peterson in his Jazz at the Philharmonic all-star tours of the 1950s, had the musicians work out the arrangements in the studio with a minimum of rehearsal. That freshness of conception can still be sensed today.

The unifying element of The Composer refers to the fact that Peterson has written all nine compositions, and attempts to give him credit for his writing skills. These pieces have been taken from several albums, recorded between 1974 and 1986, and performed both live and in the studio. Placing Peterson in a big-band setting will perhaps seem odd to those accustomed to hearing the master in small combos. Odd perhaps, but the opening cut, "Jubilation," immediately reassures with its up-tempo drive and spunk. This is followed by "Lady Di's Waltz," a mellow, and somewhat classical piece, appropriately recorded in London.

At the beginning of this set Oscar Peterson so overwhelms the normally gentle "Tristeza" that it almost becomes a parody. Fortunately, the remainder of the bossa nova-flavored LP is more tasteful. Even if Peterson is overly hyper in spots, he is able to bring out the beauty of such songs as George Gershwin's "Porgy," Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Trieste," and "Watch What Happens," in addition to stomping through the straight-ahead "You Stepped out of a Dream."