Oscar Peterson album for those who don't like much OP

[AllenLowe]

Monty is another one, yes, drives me crazy; check out, as well, Dudley Moore's jazz playing.

[erwbol]

My experience with O.P. is limited to his work with Ben Webster on Verve in the fifties. I never realised he is so divisive, but Ben is the draw for me on those records anyway. In the recent past, I've upgraded Soulville and Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson to APO hybrid SACD, and next time will try to focus on O.P. more.

Edited August 29, 2015 by erwbol

[Larry Kart]

It's always interesting to revisit the love/hate OP theme.  Can Wynton be far behind?

 

 

gregmo

I hope not. OTOH, Wynton's fans should know that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is going to premiere his new Violin Concerto at Ravinia next summer. Actually, that's the American premiere; the world premiere will take place this November in London:

http://www.primoartists.com/uncategorized/nicola-benedetti-premiere-violin-concerto-wynton-marsalis/

Monty is another one, yes, drives me crazy; check out, as well, Dudley Moore's jazz playing.

The key question is what do we think of George Wein's piano playing? Listening to the Mosaic reissue of of "George Wein Is Alive and Well in Mexico," which is full of excellent work from Ruby Braff, Bud Freeman, and Pee Wee Russell, I was pleasantly surprised by and large by Wein, though were times when he wanders some.

Edited August 29, 2015 by Larry Kart

[JohnS]

I'm by no means a fan of Peterson.   I was told years ago that the one to get was Night Train but when I eventually heard it didn't do anything for me.   On the other hand a friend found two ancient Peterson vinyls in a charity shop last week - Plays Ellington and Plays Count Basie.  Although two or three three tracks were to me, truly awful, I have to own up that some of it was  pretty listenable. 

[Big Beat Steve]

I've never been tempted enough to explore OP in REAL depth (beyond his presence on JATP recordings I bought for JATP's sake and his VERY early Canadian RCA recordings which got me interested primarily as ANOTHER document of recorded jazz from that particular period, also happening to show where OP came from) and have just picked up the occasional "typical OP" item here and there as they came my way in clearout bins, but there is one exception (or series of exceptions): His privately recorded (sort of) sessions for Hans-Georg Brunner-Schwer (of MPS fame) from the 60s, eventually released in the "Exclusively For My Friends" LP series on MPS. No idea if they are off the radar to U.S. listeners and therefore haven't been mentioned so far here (I know they must have been current in the UK where Polydor released them with the MPS cover artwork and liner notes). I had taken note of a couple of OP items heard on the radio, sought them out, and lo and behold, they were on that series. I don't have all of the vols. from that series but do like those I have heard.

[Larry Kart]

I said in a previous post: "My recollection is that some of the work that OP did for MPS had a different, more Tatumesque flavor and had its moments."

[HutchFan]

The ones that came to my mind upon reading the thread title on the board's homepage were the two on MPS with George Mraz and Ray Price ("Walking the Line", "Another Day", rec. 1970). Not sure who this Ray Price was, never yet investigate, but that trio was great, alas shortlived. Maybe also "Tristeza on Piano", another one on MPS with Sam Jones and Bobby rimshot Durham (also rec. 1970). Those MPS albums are a fine bunch and come in stellar sound (I know the Most Promising Sound reissues by Universal Germany or whoever really produced them).

Along with Walking the Line and Another Day, don't forget the solo piano LP called Tracks.  It was recorded at the same sessions that yielded those two trio records.

Those three records are likely my favorite Oscar Peterson recordings.

I said in a previous post: "My recollection is that some of the work that OP did for MPS had a different, more Tatumesque flavor and had its moments."

There really is something different about those MPS recordings, isn't there!!!

Edited August 29, 2015 by HutchFan

[Big Beat Steve]

I said in a previous post: "My recollection is that some of the work that OP did for MPS had a different, more Tatumesque flavor and had its moments."

It all depends on which MPS recordings you are referring to (he recorded for MPS outside those "Exclusively For My Friends" 6-LP series, you know ..) so actually you are not saying much there, and given your comprehensive jazz knowledge "my recollection is ..." and "some of the work" is relatively vague, and - honestly - isn't "had its moments" a bit condescending? So what is somebody seriously intersted in exploring specific OP recordings to make of that?

I am certainly not one to defend OP (like I said, he has not struck my fancy all the way either) and if you don't like OP per se - fine (others run away when forced to listening to Free Jazz - which HAS to be just as fine too - tastes differ, you know ... and when tastes come into play there is hardly any eternal truth, and what there is involves neither OP nor Free Jazz), but if recommendations are to be given there ought to be a little more to build on, isnt'it? But I guess recommendations to those who'd like to receive recommendations would have to come from those basically sympathetic towards the music (which does not mean you have to go into hero adulation, of course).

 

 

 

[Larry Kart]

I was referring to the "Exclusively for My Friends" material, though I have heard other MPS Peterson recordings. I was vague because while I listened to a fair amount of the "Exclusively for My Friends" series at one time, I don't think I still own any of those recordings -- maybe I kept one for reference purposes but not more because I must have felt  that I probably wasn't going to listen to them much again. Lovely instrument, handsomely recorded, IIRC.

[marcello]

"Stratford" is a great recording in it's way. Some other stuff I can dig ( some great music on the Pablo Duet series) and this, especially when Dizzy takes the lead and the OP solo after. It is what it is...

Edited August 30, 2015 by marcello

[JSngry]

MPS facilitated The Singers Unlimited with both Oscar Peterson & The Boss Brass, records which brought out the worst possible traits of all concerned (and let's face it, even thoguh I cut Gene Puerling all the greatest possible LoveRespect imaginable, just because Gene Puerling had any number of extra gears than his mundane work would have the lazy listener believe, the guy also could be everything the lazy listener want to think he was).

I mean, if this doesn't want to make you want to wish permanent death and living dismemberment  on somebody, then, really, I think you have not a shred of either decency or sanity.

OTOH, MPS facilitated The Singers Unlimited with Robert Farnon, and at least one of those encounters is one of the best damn pop records ever.

 

 

 

 

[Alexander Hawkins]

I'm an OP fan. Sure, some of it winds me up...e.g. his comping can be really suffocating (some of the stuff on 'Roy and Diz'), and of course, he often seems just to play his 'stuff'...but when it's good, I think it's really, really great. That Stratford Shakespearean Festival record is one of my favourite piano trio records out there.

And don't get me wrong - instrumental prowess doesn't bother me as such - but he can *really* play the instrument. A little bit like sometimes with e.g. Freddie Hubbard, sometimes, it's fun just to listen to someone who's all over their instrument, and enjoying themselves doing it.

I don't really know Monty Alexander's records, although have caught him live at festivals a couple of times in recent years, and both times, I have to say, it was really genuinely joyful, swinging music.

[king ubu]

@Jim: that's the one MPS album I've stayed away from ... but "Motions & Emotions" with Claus Ogerman is fun, every once in a while. Not sure which is the album with The Boss Brass (I've so far had zero interest in them).

[Larry Kart]

When I was at the Chicago Tribune I once got a fan letter from Bonnie Herman. Don't recall what the occasion was -- not anything I'd written about her own work, though.

[AllenLowe]

It's always interesting to revisit the love/hate OP theme.  Can Wynton be far behind?

 

 

gregmo

I hope not. OTOH, Wynton's fans should know that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is going to premiere his new Violin Concerto at Ravinia next summer. Actually, that's the American premiere; the world premiere will take place this November in London:

http://www.primoartists.com/uncategorized/nicola-benedetti-premiere-violin-concerto-wynton-marsalis/

Monty is another one, yes, drives me crazy; check out, as well, Dudley Moore's jazz playing.

The key question is what do we think of George Wein's piano playing? Listening to the Mosaic reissue of of "George Wein Is Alive and Well in Mexico," which is full of excellent work from Ruby Braff, Bud Freeman, and Pee Wee Russell, I was pleasantly surprised by and large by Wein, though were times when he wanders some.

Larry  - I've long been impressed with Wein's playing; back in the 60s and 70s he used to bring Newport groups out to Long Island, and he played with them usually; and he was good. Years later I met him and told him I liked his piano playing and he was very pleasantly surprised, I think. He's also on a '50s Doc Cheatem/Pee Wee Russell session.

Edited August 30, 2015 by AllenLowe

[Larry Kart]

Glad to hear that about Wein. That I liked him on that "Alive and Well in Mexico" album made me wonder whether I'd finally lost my sanity.

[AllenLowe]

he can play; has a nice Teddy Wilson thing going, I think.

[paul secor]

MPS facilitated The Singers Unlimited with both Oscar Peterson & The Boss Brass, records which brought out the worst possible traits of all concerned (and let's face it, even thoguh I cut Gene Puerling all the greatest possible LoveRespect imaginable, just because Gene Puerling had any number of extra gears than his mundane work would have the lazy listener believe, the guy also could be everything the lazy listener want to think he was).

I mean, if this doesn't want to make you want to wish permanent death and living dismemberment  on somebody, then, really, I think you have not a shred of either decency or sanity.

OTOH, MPS facilitated The Singers Unlimited with Robert Farnon, and at least one of those encounters is one of the best damn pop records ever.

 

 

 

 

This may be relevant or not, but I'll throw it in. From Joachim E. Berendt's liner notes of Cecil Taylor's Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly!:

"And the evening before the record date, we sat together in the beautiful home of MPS boss H.G. Brunner-Schwer, the first thing he (Cecil) wanted to listen to was Friedrich Gulda playing a piano concerto by Mozart. The records he chose to take along were Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Well Tempered Piano', The Singers Unlimited: 'A capella 3', and Supersax playing Charlie Parker's music."

I've learned over the years not to be surprised about anything connected with Cecil. He's a man of surprises.

 

[Larry Kart]

he can play; has a nice Teddy Wilson thing going, I think.

I was thinking more Hines, modified because who has Hines' chops? But what caught my ear, as often with Hines, was the more or less "internal" activity of Wein's playing, while with Wilson I hear melody and accompaniment (the latter often very subtle in itself and also in relation to the melodic thinking) but not much "internal" conversation/dialogue.; the "middle," so to speak, usually is kept clean/open. BTW, that's fine with me; it's who Wilson is, how he feels it.

[AllenLowe]

there's a short solo here by Wein at about 2:00:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plSlWUdSgOI

and here's a whole concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlJirRC_uXs

 

I see what you mean about the Hines, but he's a relatively smooth player.

 

 

Edited August 30, 2015 by AllenLowe

[king ubu]

MPS facilitated The Singers Unlimited with both Oscar Peterson & The Boss Brass, records which brought out the worst possible traits of all concerned (and let's face it, even thoguh I cut Gene Puerling all the greatest possible LoveRespect imaginable, just because Gene Puerling had any number of extra gears than his mundane work would have the lazy listener believe, the guy also could be everything the lazy listener want to think he was).

I mean, if this doesn't want to make you want to wish permanent death and living dismemberment  on somebody, then, really, I think you have not a shred of either decency or sanity.

OTOH, MPS facilitated The Singers Unlimited with Robert Farnon, and at least one of those encounters is one of the best damn pop records ever.

 

 

 

 

This may be relevant or not, but I'll throw it in. From Joachim E. Berendt's liner notes of Cecil Taylor's Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly!:

"And the evening before the record date, we sat together in the beautiful home of MPS boss H.G. Brunner-Schwer, the first thing he (Cecil) wanted to listen to was Friedrich Gulda playing a piano concerto by Mozart. The records he chose to take along were Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Well Tempered Piano', The Singers Unlimited: 'A capella 3', and Supersax playing Charlie Parker's music."

I've learned over the years not to be surprised about anything connected with Cecil. He's a man of surprises.

 

Ha ha, wish they still had those jazz sales going on and I could reconsider and pick up "In Tune" ... but never mind, enough music around. Thanks for sharing though, haven't come around to reading those liners yet.

[Larry Kart]

MPS facilitated The Singers Unlimited with both Oscar Peterson & The Boss Brass, records which brought out the worst possible traits of all concerned (and let's face it, even thoguh I cut Gene Puerling all the greatest possible LoveRespect imaginable, just because Gene Puerling had any number of extra gears than his mundane work would have the lazy listener believe, the guy also could be everything the lazy listener want to think he was).

I mean, if this doesn't want to make you want to wish permanent death and living dismemberment  on somebody, then, really, I think you have not a shred of either decency or sanity.

OTOH, MPS facilitated The Singers Unlimited with Robert Farnon, and at least one of those encounters is one of the best damn pop records ever.

 

 

 

 

But I like this "Sesame Street." Have you momentarily lost your sense of humor? Puerling et al. are having fun here, especially the use of characteristic SU voicings on this material.

[Joe]

Begone, dull care.

Maybe because he sounds less like himself there, I do have to say I find much of his "electric piano" record quite pleasant: NIGHT CHILD on Pablo.

[Chuck Nessa]

Begone, dull care.

Maybe because he sounds less like himself there, I do have to say I find much of his "electric piano" record quite pleasant: NIGHT CHILD on Pablo.

I just had chills.

[Larry Kart]

Begone, dull care.

Maybe because he sounds less like himself there, I do have to say I find much of his "electric piano" record quite pleasant: NIGHT CHILD on Pablo.

I just had chills.

Be very afraid -- there's also a OP album on clavichord, "Porgy and Bess" I think.