Does Oscar Peterson get a bad rap?

[AllenLowe]

23 minutes ago, John Tapscott said:

If you like a particular musician listen to him/her, if not then don't waste your time. Life is too short. I generally like Peterson, though I wouldn't call him my favorite jazz pianist. FWIW, people like Hank Jones and Andre Previn have called him the best. 

ironically or not, I have heard Andre Previn play in a manner that sounds EXACTLY like OP. Which says a lot.

[Milestones]

If you have not heard pieces where Peterson plays with delicacy and subtlety, then you have not heard a lot of Peterson.  Those pieces are out there, and it's not like they are 1% of his output.

 

[Ken Dryden]

I can tell you that Oscar Peterson was a delightful interview, unlike Andre Previn.

[mjzee]

I don't enjoy listening to OP, although perhaps it would be interesting to concentrate on his work as a sideman.  But for all the talk about Jimmy Rowles, I haven't liked his work either as a leader or sideman.  He's not propulsive, he doesn't offer insightful responses or settings for soloists, and I find listening to him to be an oblique, almost impenetrable experience.  Again, different strokes.

[HutchFan]

I wonder...  Will the "Great Oscar Peterson Debate" EVER die?!?!

People have been flogging this horse -- both pro and con -- for decades.

    

 

[danasgoodstuff]

I was listening to OP with Lester Young last night, and he was fine.  Just not as fine as Teddy Wilson is with Lester.  There are other folks I'd rather hear leading a trio too, but the only way I can see getting worked up about it is if someone's trying to tell you he's the greatest thing ever....

[AllenLowe]

3 hours ago, Milestones said:

If you have not heard pieces where Peterson plays with delicacy and subtlety, then you have not heard a lot of Peterson.  Those pieces are out there, and it's not like they are 1% of his output.

 

I have but they are almost always spoiled by his vulgarisms - read my prior description of his version of Waltz for Debbie.

1 hour ago, danasgoodstuff said:

I was listening to OP with Lester Young last night, and he was fine.  Just not as fine as Teddy Wilson is with Lester.  There are other folks I'd rather hear leading a trio too, but the only way I can see getting worked up about it is if someone's trying to tell you he's the greatest thing ever....

everybody tells me he's the greatest thing ever - maybe not here, but other places I frequent.

[Milestones]

The average listener would certainly prefer Bill Evans over Oscar Peterson when it comes to "Waltz for Debby."

But what about Oscar's duo record with Ella from 1975?

 

[JSngry]

16 minutes ago, Milestones said:

But what about Oscar's duo record with Ella from 1975?

What about them? They exist. Anything else?

[danasgoodstuff]

48 minutes ago, AllenLowe said:

I have but they are almost always spoiled by his vulgarisms - read my prior description of his version of Waltz for Debbie.

everybody tells me he's the greatest thing ever - maybe not here, but other places I frequent.

Well, stop going to those places.  If you can.  I wonder if I can list as many pianists I'd rather listen to (or at least just as soon listen to) than OP as I did in my guitarists I'd rather listen to than Page list?  I think I got to 100 there.

[JSngry]

Just 100?

[felser]

4 hours ago, mjzee said:

  But for all the talk about Jimmy Rowles, I haven't liked his work either as a leader or sideman. 

+1

[Ken Dryden]

I think musicians who played with Oscar Peterson would be more likely to praise his playing vs. condemning it. I do find myself gravitating more to the Pablo recordings over anything else.

[Teasing the Korean]

5 hours ago, Ken Dryden said:

I can tell you that Oscar Peterson was a delightful interview, unlike Andre Previn.

OK, please don't derail this thread, but if there is an Andre Previn thread, I would love to hear about your experience.

[Rooster_Ties]

12 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

OK, please don't derail this thread, but if there is an Andre Previn thread, I would love to hear about your experience.

Don’t derail a thread?? I’m sorry, but that’s not what we do around here! 

[JSngry]

Anybody seen the sex tapes of Andre Previn and Mia Farrow? He keeps calling her "Allison" and she keeps calling him "Frank".

Surprisingly hot! 

[Ken Dryden]

43 minutes ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Don’t derail a thread?? I’m sorry, but that’s not what we do around here! 

I had a cover feature assignment on Previn for The New York City Jazz Record to promote his gig at the Blue Note. I was told at length by his manager of the topics to avoid and that I could have ten minutes, mind you, for a cover story. He finally agreed to a Saturday morning, well past my normal deadline for submitting copy. This necessitated a special trip to my station, a 36 mile round trip and I was already tense. The interview quickly went downhill as he acted like someone who didn’t want to talk at all. Afterward, I knew that I didn’t have enough quotes, so I emailed Christian McBride, who was playing with him, a handful of questions, which he answered promptly in a friendly manner. Then Previn’s rep called me to scream at me, “How dare you contact one of MY ARTISTS without going through me?” I would have responded what she could do with herself but realized it would have put the editor on the spot to create a new feature to replace it. In almost 35 years of interviewing jazz artists, this is the only time that I had to deal with complete jerks like Previn and his representative.

The funny thing is that the article ran and Previn missed the gig due to illness…

On the other hand, great artists like Oscar Peterson, Clark Terry, Joe Pass, Gerry Mulligan, Jaki Byard, Dave Brubeck, Marian McPartland and so many others were a joy to interview, often making me feel like I was an old friend as we laughed about funny stories that we shared. None of them acted like egomaniacs or put me off so long without committing to talk.

 

[Teasing the Korean]

3 minutes ago, Ken Dryden said:

I had a cover feature assignment on Previn for The New York City Jazz Record to promote his gig at the Blue Note. I was told at length by his manager of the topics to avoid and that I could have ten minutes, mind you, for a cover story. He finally agreed to a Saturday morning, well past my normal deadline for submitting copy. This necessitated a special trip to my station, a 36 mile round trip and I was already tense. The interview quickly went downhill as he acted like someone who didn’t want to talk at all. Afterward, I knew that I didn’t have enough quotes, so I emailed Christian McBride, who was playing with him, a handful of questions, which he answered promptly in a friendly manner. Then Previn’s rep called me to scream at me, “How dare you contact one of MY ARTISTS without going through me?” I would have responded what she could do with herself but realized it would have put the editor on the spot to create a new feature to replace it. In almost 35 years of interviewing jazz artists, this is the only time that I had to deal with complete jerks like Previn and his representative.

The funny thing is that the article ran and Previn missed the gig due to illness…

On the other hand, great artists like Oscar Peterson, Clark Terry, Joe Pass, Gerry Mulligan, Jaki Byard, Dave Brubeck, Marian McPartland and so many others were a joy to interview, often making me feel like I was an old friend as we laughed about funny stories that we shared. None of them acted like egomaniacs or put me off so long without committing to talk.

Thank you.  The funny thing is that what you describe is precisely how I've always imagined him, despite my admiration for his skills.  

[Ken Dryden]

Oscar Peterson roared when I told him Niels Pedersen’s unusual response to a question about a singer new to me who appeared on his then-new CD. 
 

How did you discover her?

It was a funny thing. I was sitting on the toilet and I heard her on the radio in my daughter’s bedroom.

[Teasing the Korean]

1 hour ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Don’t derail a thread?? I’m sorry, but that’s not what we do around here! 

Ha ha!

[Milestones]

We will now discuss jazz performances on Sesame Street.  

[jlhoots]

1 hour ago, Milestones said:

We will now discuss jazz performances on Sesame Street.  

Joe Fiedler: Fuzzy & Blue. Oh - but you were just kidding. Talk about derailing a thread!!

[JSngry]

8 hours ago, Milestones said:

We will now discuss jazz performances on Sesame Street.  

How about Eric Kloss on Mr. Rogers! 

[Teasing the Korean]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

How about Eric Kloss on Mr. Rogers! 

I have asked jazz fans of a certain age group if they paid attention to Mr. Rogers's piano player, Johnny Costa. After I got into Bill Evans, I realized that I had heard those kinds of chord voicings as a kid on Mr. Rogers.  That guy was a gateway player for me.  I don't have any of his records.

Edited September 14, 2022 by Teasing the Korean

[Rooster_Ties]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

How about Eric Kloss on Mr. Rogers! 

Just down the road from us here in DC. Never new Kloss was on Mr. Rogers, until this very moment…