Search - Oscar Peterson :: The Oscar Peterson Trio Plays

Classic and brilliant. A blazing talent at his best.

Tom B | Westport, CT USA | 05/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of all Oscar's Peterson's great recordings -- and there are many -- this has a special flavor. It is Oscar being intimate, as in a lounge setting, and commanding the material as if the world was listening. Imagine yourself having a night on the town in 1964, laughing and feeling good, and as luck would have it you and your friends have the rare privelege to be in a club where the young Oscar Peterson and his trio are playing and having a good time. That's the feeling, the mood, of the whole set. A party, with great music and good times. At once blazing with unrestrained, joyful energy an at the same time sensitive and filled with emotion, Oscar shows his oceans-wide range and Everest-high skill. The party starts with Oscar's piece The Strut, which does exactly that. Then he embellishes Let's Fall in Love and Satin Doll with the greatest of ease, taste and wit, followed by the toe-tapping Little Right Foot. He soars through the rest of the material in similar style, and ends with an infectiously rhythmic take on You Stepped Out of a Dream. I bought this record on vinyl when it first came out (shows you how old I am) and haven't stopped playing it since. Now on a CD I can play it forever and not wear it out. I notice that this copy is an import; too bad, because it should be more widely available. But it's a treasure, and it's great to see the title listed. This is jazz piano -- and jazz -- at its best."