Polite Peterson; Excellent Sound
Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 06/16/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This 1964 session tends toward the "commercial" Oscar Peterson. Ten tunes, only one clocking in at over 5 minutes (5:11), with Oscar playing with restraint, finesse and polish, backed by his best rhythm section. The "concept" was to have the great pianist perform tunes not normally in his repertory but frequently requested by fans. At the same time, none of the last three tunes is familiar, though the closer features full-blown hyper-virtuosic Oscar at full speed.
The audio on the 1997 CD reissue is as good as it gets. Ray Brown's bass retains all of its natural, personal character; Thigpen's drums are crisp and present; Oscar's piano is bright and perfectly mixed--and it's a spacious sound that you would never hear on a Van Gelder recording.
If you really want to hear Oscar smokin' on every tune, playing with his "serious" game face on and from this same period, go to the recordings from the "Exclusively for My Friends" series, made at the Black Forest estate of Hans Brunner Schwer for his German MPS label (now out on Verve). Start with "The Lost Tapes" (Vol. 1) or "In a Mellotone" (Vol. V), but fasten your seat belt first. No mellow Oscar on this one--just a volcanic force unleashed. If that sounds like too much to start with, get your feet wet with "We Get Requests.""
One of the best albums I own
M. Gimble | 02/12/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was sad to read that Mr. Thigpen passed away in January 2010. So my tribute to this now departed trio is my attempt at reviewing what has to be one of the best recorded jazz albums ever made.
If you are reading this, I am going to assume that you are already familiar with the Oscar Peterson Trio. As with every album this Trio recorded, you get a little bit of everything. There is electricity, speed, calmness and joy. Where this album surpasses the others is in the quality of the recorded tracks. Whether you have an audiophile quality sound system or computer speakers, you will be able to hear the differences I am attempting to explain. Ray's bass comes out perfectly from one speaker and the quality is so excellent you can even hear him scatting while he is playing (check out the intro of You Look Good to Me). Ed's playing issues as perfectly from the opposite speaker. And I was amazed to hear all the little things that Ed does while playing as opposed to just keeping the beat. The recording is so clean that you can actually focus your ears to the bass or drum lines or just let Oscar's playing take you away.
If you could care less about hearing the playing of each memeber, have no fear the selection of songs has to be one of the best groupings the Trio every put down on tape. If you like the samba sound, listen to the Girl from Ipanema; 70's music more to your liking, the Trio covers People; prefer a good ballad, Time and Again will fill that niche and if you just want straight up jazz, I would challenge you to find a better example than Goodbye J.D.
For those that do have an audophile quality system with a turntable, get the re-released vinyl. It is dynamic.
Why can't the record companies produce music like this any more? I sure miss those guys."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
