Almost Encyclopedic Samples Of Early Oscar Peterson
J H Murphy | Agoura, California USA | 10/28/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This 2-CD set chronicles the early work of Oscar Peterson, beginning in Montreal and ending in New York. There are a lot of good points about the set, and a few downsides, so your actual rating may vary from my four stars.
For Peterson fans, it might be five stars. Listening to the 2 CDs in sequence, one can hear how Oscar's style matured between 1945 and 1950. The first cut, I Got Rhythm, shows great technique. Shiek of Araby moves up tempo. Stylistically, you can tell it's Oscar Peterson, but the flair of later years isn't there yet. The last two cuts on the first CD are the most interesting - Oo-Bop Sh'Bam is the only cut on which I've heard Oscar singing. Amusing, but it was probably best that he stuck to piano. And Sweet Georgia Brown, the last cut on CD 1, begins to hint at the later Oscar Peterson sound.
The second CD is really where things get going. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and Deep Purple were good. And Caravan, one of the pieces with Ray Brown finally on bass, is clearly what we expect from Oscar.
The pieces are all shorter than most of his later work - longest was 3:47, shortest 2:24. In general, all 51 are pleasant, some more enjoyable than others, mostly old standards.
The set also includes very good liner notes with several anecdotes about Oscar Peterson, as well as the complete list of early records - maybe the best liner notes I've seen in a jazz collection.
Now for the negatives. The 1945 recording technology often sounds tinny and strident - it's not overpowering, but some will find it detracts from the experience on the early cuts. (Don't foget - mono, not stereo!) And this is not the mature, secure Oscar Peterson at his peak. The early recordings were basically piano pieces - the bass and drums were almost just window dressing. It seems like there was a little too much boogie woogie influence, too. As he matured, there was a bit more interplay with the other instruments, and Sweet Georgia Brown is perhaps the turning point. On CD 2, the bass player gets much more play by comparison. And, when Ray Brown appears in the last 13 cuts, the pieces sound much more balanced.
So - for Peterson fans, a five-star must. And a good buy at that.
For others, this is more a three-and-a-half-star easy listening than queasy listening, and worth a look - CD 2 will probably get more play than CD 1. Probably not best as one's first serious introduction to Oscar Peterson.
Overall - recommended."
Track Listings (51) - Disc #1