Search - Oscar Peterson, Michel Legrand :: Trail of Dreams: A Canadian Suite [SACD]

As part of its new-millennium celebrations, the Canadian government opened a series of linked hiking trails across the country, some 10,000 miles of pathway through every conceivable kind of northern terrain. The Trail of Dreams suite, composed by the country's most famous jazz musician, was commissioned to commemorate the trail. Oscar Peterson has explored nationalistic themes before, and, like his 1964 Canadiana suite, this one is inspired by the changing landscape and shifting cultures encountered in crossing so vast a country, from the Celtic reel of "Dancetron" to a minuet. Michel LeGrand provides string arrangements for Peterson's themes, expanding and supporting the work of Peterson's quartet: guitarist Ulf Wakenius, bassist Niels Henning-Orsted Pedersen, and drummer Martin Drew. The strings only add to the warm glow that's already present in Peterson's tunes, from the engagingly swinging "Open Spaces" and "Cookin' on the Trail" to the limpid serenity of "Banff the Beautiful" and "Harcourt Nights." Peterson, celebrating his 75th birthday, is not the powerhouse at the piano he once was, but there are sparkling moments throughout that show he retains his vibrant rhythmic sense. Much of the lead and solo work goes to Wakenius. The latest in a string of fine Peterson guitarists, he's more than up to the task. --Stuart Broomer