Search - Count Basie, Oscar Peterson :: Yessir Thats My Baby

Relaxing Baroque four-hand piano/organ jazz

JP PAZ SOLDAN | Lima, Peru | 04/22/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"To me Peterson in jazz is Haydn, so bear with me with the classical music analogies. "Oscar in Paris" reminds me of Haydn morphing into Mozart. In "Yessir, That's my Baby" he is a relaxed master playing with an older legend and bowing to his (Basie's) style. This is not my favorite Peterson CD but to me a bad Peterson CD is better than most jazz recordings. This one merits 4 or 3 stars but does not deserve to have NO reviews. I take this one to the beach and enjoy having it playing while reading in the late lazy summer afternoons.Basie and Peterson in two keyboards remind me of the Bach pieces for several pianos. Count Basie's spare and spartan use of notes contrasts with Peterson's desire to fill every silent space with arpeggios and ricochets. In this CD Peterson respects Basie's more controlled style, except in Blues for CT which is a fast tempo jazz piece that reminds me of rag time or one of those Allegro movements in Vivaldi that are liked even by people that don't get into classical music. Blues for CT makes the CD worth buying. It is a fast tune even for Peterson and Basie provides the counterpoint. A non-stop rollercoaster from note one.I am not fond of the electric organ in general as it makes songs sound like elevator music. In the 4 or so tracks where they pull out the organ Peterson's piano (I am assuming Basie grabs the organ as there are no notes on the CD I own) provides a respite from the organ's bluesyness.The cover title song Yessir, That's My Baby is an unpretentious ballad and the classic Tea for Two is enjoyable. The bass and drums just make an appearance and cash their check.This CD doesn't jump at you and grab you by the ears or demand that you stop living to hear it, even though these two guys are jazz legends. Bach meets Haydn and decide to drop some lazy tunes having a wine cooler. Count me in. Just let me get my summer novel and take my shoes off."