Search - Oscar Peterson :: Plays Count Basie (Reis) (Rstr) (Mlps)

A tribute from one master to another

Andrew Parks | Beaux Arts, WA USA | 06/03/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Oscar Peterson collaborated with and admired Count Basie. This deft album shows both. He joins with his famed trio to present classic Basie tunes in a fresh but reverent way. Mr. Peterson's playing continually charms and astounds. What a master of the lyric phrase and the swinging upbeat. This album is a treasure for the fan of a jazz age too often ignored or under appreciated. Add it to your collection."

And Herb Ellis..........!

Michael C. Baughan | Duck, NC USA | 10/28/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"....must been on Red Bull, er, many cupsa coffee back then! They all burn for that matter, or Buddy Rich wouldn't have put up with it! Amazing!"

Oscar swings Basie

Nikica Gilic | Zagreb, Croatia | 04/17/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oscar Peterson was a great pianist to interpret Basie's repertoire:

he had a great sense of swing and his virtuoso fingers could use the piano in the orchestral manner; aided by very compacted group of Herb Ellis(g), Ray Brown (b) and Buddy Rich (dm) this album is everything I expected it to be...



Admittedly, Oscar's fast fingering could get a bit mechanical and it occasionally happens on the faster swingers on this album, but the slower tracks make up for that small fault. There's a lot of feeling and beauty on this album, a must-have for all Basie and/or Peterson fans (Oscar's "Blues for Basie" is a good evidence for my claim). Also, I think this is mainstream jazz at its best.



BTW - the Basie's songs from this album are not all written by Basie; this is a tribute to Basie's orchestra, not just to his noble Countness..."