DICK

BOXED SET
Exclusively For My Friends
Oscar Peterson (MPS)
by Russ Musto
Arguably the most popular mainstream jazz pianist
of his time, Oscar Peterson, who died eight years ago
this month at 82, recorded prolifically throughout
his 50+year career, thanks in no small part to the
efforts of Norman Granz, who released scores of
dates on his Verve and Pablo labels. The sides
collected here represent the efforts of another of
Peterson’s more ardent supporters, Hans Georg
Brunner-Schwer, who invited the pianist, then under
exclusive contract with Verve, to record before an
invited audience in his intimate Villingen, Germany
studio, with the understanding that they would be
later released on the MPS label.
The recordings, collected under the title
Exclusively For My Friends, document three of
Peterson’s great working trios. Things begin with the
March 1963/April 1964 date with bassist Ray Brown
and drummer Ed Thigpen issued as Action. The
program starts with Cole Porter’s “At Long Last
Love”, on which the then-38-year-old Peterson’s
virtuosity is tastefully displayed, as he inserts
keyboard-traversing arpeggios between bouncing
strides and bluesy runs. The pianist is at his most
relaxed on Billy Taylor’s “Easy Walker”, the mood
continuing on “Tin Tin Deo”, with bass and cowbell
marking the easy pace as Peterson delves into
Gillespie’s harmonic architecture. Polished readings
of Gershwin classics “I’ve Got A Crush On You” and
“A Foggy Day” follow, before the group caps things
off with an introspective examination of “Like
Someone In Love”, lyrical bass and impeccable
brushwork buoying delicately reflective piano.
Volume Two of the collection, titled Girl Talk, a
collection of recordings from 1965-68, opens with a
brightly swinging 1967 recording of “On A Clear
Day” with bassist Sam Jones and the largely
unheralded drummer Bobby Durham. The group
takes its time with an achingly slow 17-minute
reading of “I’m In The Mood For Love”, which
begins with a ruminative extended solo piano
introduction. The mood turns bluesy on the title
track then brightens on a “I Concentrate on You”/
“Moon River” medley, with Louis Hayes replacing
Durham here and on the Count Basie-ish closer,
“Robbins Nest”, both from a 1965 session.
The Peterson-Jones-Durham trio is back for the
set’s third volume, The Way I Really Play, recorded on
Nov. 12th, 1967. The disc opens with a hard-swinging
version of Brown’s “Waltzing Is Hip”, a feature for
Durham, played at a brisk tempo. Things mellow a
bit for “Satin Doll”, with easy walking bass setting
up the midtempo pace. Peterson opens the relaxed
reading of the Gershwins’ “Our Love Is Here To
Stay” with a tasteful Art Tatum-esque solo piano
introduction. A pair of the pianist’s original pieces—
soulful “Sandy’s Blues” and classically-tinged
“Noreen’s Nocturne”—bookend the brightly
waltzing “Alice In Wonderland” to fill out the date.
Volume 4, My Favorite Instrument, recorded in
April 1968, nearly 25 years into his career,
surprisingly was Peterson’s first complete solo piano
effort. The album shines a bright light on his virtuoso
technique, which synthesized the influences of
Tatum, James P. Johnson and Nat Cole into a
singularly original style. The set is comprised of nine
well-known compositions from the jazz canon,
including Ellington classics “Perdido” and “Take
The ‘A’ Train” and popular standards like “I Should
Care”, “‘Someone To Watch Over Me”, “Bye Bye
Blackbird” and “Body and Soul”. Encompassing a
variety of moods, from melancholy to exuberant, this
is easily one of Peterson’s best dates.
Volumes 5 and 6, Mellow Mood and Travelin’ On
(both also from April 1968), bring back the trio with
Jones and Durham. The former is a far from mellow
outing, featuring some of the compilation’s liveliest
performances, despite the breezy opener “In A
Mellotone”, perhaps the basis for the somewhat
misleading title. Other highlights include original
arrangements of “Summertime”, “On Green Dolphin
Street” and Horace Silver’s “Nica’s Dream”. The
final volume of the collection highlights less familiar
fare, including the traditional gospel title track,
Johnny Mandel-Johnny Mercer ballad “Emily”,
Francy Boland’s “Sax No End” and Antônio Carlos
Jobim’s “Corcovado”, before closing with Benny
Carter’s “When Lights Are Low”.
For more information, visit mps-music.com
Cobi Narita Presents
DEC 1
manhattan school of music
afro-cuban jazz orchestra
DEC 2
etienne charles presents:
creole christmas
DEC 3–6
allan harris: love came, the
songs of strayhorn featuring
the eric reed trio
DEC 7
marquis hill quintet
DEC 8
new york youth symphony:
with robin eubanks
DEC 9–10
andy farber & his orchestra
DEC 11–13
holiday swing with michael
mwenso, brianna thomas, and
charenee wade
DEC 14
juilliard jazz ensembles
swing by tonight
set times
7:30pm & 9:30pm
Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall
DEC 15–17
ed reed trio with special guest
george cables
DEC 18–20
diva jazz orchestra
celebrates ella fitzgerald’s
swingin’ christmas
DEC 21*–22
dick hyman solo piano
*monday nights with wbgo
DEC 23
ted rosenthal trio:
“wonderland” holiday show
DEC 24–25
closed
DEC 26–29
chris potter trio
DEC 30
winard harper
DEC 31
new year’s eve celebration
*special pricing applies
jazz.org / dizzys
Broadway at 60th Street, 5th Floor, nyc
HAPPY
AND JAZZY
HOLIDAYS
FROM
COBI!
cobinarita.com
34 DECEMBER 2015 | THE NEW YORK CITY JAZZ RECORD