The Great Oscar Peterson On Prestige!

 

Waltzing Is Hip / Statin Doll

The Great Oscar Peterson On Prestige!

Produced by Hans Georg-Brunner-Schwer 

An MPS recording; recorded in Europe

Prestige Records 7620

1969

Oscar Peterson - Piano

Sam Jones - Bass

Bobby Durham - Drums

From the back cover: In the development of jazz as an American art form. there have been a number of pianists who have contributed mightily, perhaps more than those who play any other instrument. The early days of jazz produced Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Earl Hines, who made the first significant changes in jazz piano playing as a member of Louis Armstrong's recording groups. Fats Waller, whose ebullient personality often overshadowed his artistry, picked up where Johnson, Willie (The Lion) Smith, and Lucky Roberts left off. Art Tatum produced a style of his own and a technique so formidable that no one has surpassed it. Teddy Wilson, brought to prominence by Benny Goodman, developed a lithe, polished style that remains influential. Nat Cole, best remembered as a vocalist, became a distinguished piano innovator as he carried the Hines tradition into the modern thinking era of the 1940s. Then came the modernists – Clyde Hart, Mary Lou Williams, Dodo Marmarosa, Errol Garner, Lennie Tristano, Thelonious Monk, the great Bud Powell – and a new era called bop, most aptly characterized pianistically by Powell himself. Once Powell left his mark there was an avalanche of skilled pianists, most of whom were directly influenced by Bud or one of his contemporaries. But one pianist of the modern era stands above all the rest as a symbol of jazz greatness, defying categorization, working independently of fads, the possessor of a style of his own that incorporates all that came before him. That man is Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, a Canadian-born musician who slipped onto the American scene late in the 1940s and gradually began to make an imprint on jazz, at first through exposure with Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic, later as the leader of trios that have been hailed as among the most inventive and cohesive jazz has produced.

Today Oscar Peterson is a giant of jazz, a pianist with unbelievable technical skills, a reverent knowledge of all that comprises jazz, an innovator of the first order, and a leader who has the respect of his sidemen and, for that matter, the entire jazz community. He is the Art Tatum of today in a technical sense, the epitome of Earl Hines in his ability to swing, a parallel of the pianistic Nat Cole in his warm and relaxed way of handling a ballad. He is THE pianist of today, and only one man, Jaki Byard, approaches his total artistry (Byard also records for Prestige).

This album, the first in a series for Prestige, was re- corded at a private studio party in Germany earlier this year, and in one sweep it summarizes the brilliance that Peterson has developed in the years since 1949 when he first crossed the Canadian border for a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert in New York City. It is also his first album in quite some time, and as such serves as a reminder that Peterson is still the greatest.

Peterson's career, like that of most great artists, is filled with important associations. In 1944 at the age of 19 (he was born Aug. 18, 1925 in Montreal) he joined Johnny Holmes' orchestra, which was then one of the most popular in Canada. The Holmes band brought Oscar to the attention of the masses and it wasn't long before he had received offers from Jimmie Lunceford and others to come to the U.S. But he wasn't ready yet. Then, five years later, Granz persuaded him to make the move, and it proved to be the turning point in his career. The following year Oscar began recording for Granz, at first strictly as a sideman in Granz' all-star groups, then as a soloist, and finally as a leader of several brilliant small groups.

In 1951 Peterson began an association with bassist Ray Brown, then already recognized as a major jazz artist, that was to last until January 1966. In 1952 Irving Ashby, who had been Nat Cole's guitarist, joined Brown and Peterson to form the first Peterson trio. Ashby was replaced by Barney Kessel later in the year and then Kessel was replaced by Herb Ellis in the following year, and from there the group remained constant until Ellis left in 1958. These years formed the first significant stage in Peterson's development as an artist and leader. At first the pianist dominated the trio, sometimes showing a lack of restraint, at other times hinting at the brilliance that was to be his. The more the group worked together-and it worked constantly with JATP and on its own the more Peterson learned and the better integrated the group became. By 1955 its sound was as tight as any group in jazz.

But the first Peterson trio came to an end in 1958 when Ellis tired of the road and decided to remain in Los Angeles. Peterson searched carefully for a replacement and finally hired Ed Thigpen, a drummer of extraordinary skills and the son of Ben Thigpen, who was the drummer with the old Andy Kirk band. The new instrumentation brought a new dimension to Peterson's playing, and the second trio became as cohesive as the first, perhaps more so. It was a complete success, both artistically and commercially.

Thigpen left in June 1965 to become a leader on his own and Brown decided seven months later to remain on the West Coast and take advantage of the lucrative studio work that awaited him there. So Oscar began an- other talent hunt and this time came up with Louis Hayes, who had been the drummer with Horace Silver and then Cannonball Adderley, and Sam Jones, Adderley's bassist and a section mate of Hayes. Hayes has since been replaced by Bobby Durham, forming the trio that is heard on this recording.

The present Peterson/Jones/Durham unit is as exciting and cohesive as any of its predecessors, and because Peterson is a better player today than at any time in his career it is artistically more refreshing than any Peterson group. Jones was the obvious choice to succeed Brown. He has the same kind of huge tone to provide the power-house beat that has become a Peterson trademark and he makes an exceptionally interesting choice of notes. He is the perfect accompanist and he brings to the trio years of experience with Adderley (six years), Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Dorham, Thelonious Monk, Illinois Jacquet, and others. Durham, too, is a well traveled player with 15 years of professional experience with such names as Lionel Hampton, Grant Green, and the unheralded but excellent Lloyd Price big band, for which he worked four years. This album shows him to have a technique comparable to that of Alan Dawson, Joe Morello, and even Buddy Rich and the smooth and restrained drive of a Thigpen or Shelly Manne. His "discovery" is a highlight of the album.

Durham's presence is felt immediately on the opening track, a Ray Brown thing called Waltzing Is Hip. Oscar plays the theme, then races off into waltz-time ruminations with Durham and Jones pushing him gently with their intense drive. Abruptly the three switch to 4/4, seemingly effortlessly, then back to three, with Durham taking terse, well-conceived breaks. Then the drummer goes off on his own in a solo that is as exciting and technically amazing as any heard on records recently. Anyone who has studied drums will marvel at Durham's dexterity, his rhythmic acumen, and his fascinating coordination of snare, bass drum, tom-toms, and cymbals. As Durham's solo ends, Peterson picks up the theme again and brings it to an abrupt ending, so abrupt that the delayed applause comes as Peterson and friends are into their next tune, Duke Ellington's Satin Doll.

Oscar's Satin Doll is in a new dress here. The mood is relaxed, and Peterson creates an early Shearing-like effect by playing behind the beat purposely at times in a locked hand chordal style. This technique, which dates back to Milt Buckner, proves tremendously effectively here. And note how Peterson mixes it with his own stylistic devices, building the tune to an exciting peak, then bringing it down into a more subdued groove for the conclusion.

Next comes George Gershwin's Our Love Is Here To Stay, with Oscar turning the beautiful theme inside out himself, then bringing in his rhythm section. Note Peterson's Tatum-like flights in the opening chorus, Jones' big tone underscoring everything, and Durham's crisp drive. There's nothing cerebral about this performance; it's just smooth, relaxed jazz at its best.

The second side opens with Sandy's Blues, a sturdy blues in F written by Peterson with the pianist again examining his lines alone first, then receiving the strong heartbeat Jones and Durham offer. Oscar's solo on this track is a marvel of improvisation, constantly expanding, mov- ing into double-time passages effortlessly, conjuring up all the elements that constitute his style, then returning to the original mood and revising it once again. As the pianist himself once said, "Any jazz group should have the blues as a foundation... it is the basis for being a group." The blues IS the basis of Oscar's playing, and this track is the best example of how he handles that ancient form.

Alice in Wonderland, of course, is the Sammy Fain theme from the Walt Disney classic, and it has been a favorite of jazzmen since Dave Brubeck examined it on his Dave Digs Disney album of about a decade ago. Oscar gives it the bright, lighthearted treatment it deserves, with Jones and Durham spurring him on. As with the Brubeck version, this one's in 34. And note the fleeting reference to Ray Brown's Gravy Waltz, another Peterson favorite, near the end.

Noreen's Nocturne, another Peterson original, was named for Noreen Nimmons, wife of Phil Nimmons, a Canadian clarinetist and a friend of Oscar's. It was recorded over a decade ago by the trio with Ellis, but this version is superior. Oscar is in full flight here, mastering the up tempo with articulate inventions, with Jones "walking" his bass after Oscar's solo and Durham again contributing some crisp breaks. It's a rousing conclusion to a great album, leaving us thirsting for the next taste of Oscar Peterson's magic. – Notes: Don Lass (Nov. 1968) Asbury Park (N. J.) Press

Waltzing Is Hip / Satin Doll

Our Love Is Here To Stay

Sandy's Blues

Alice In Wonderland

Noreen's Nocturne