Oscar Peterson-what do board members think of him?

[catesta]

EXCLUSIVELY FOR ME FRIENDS

Is it already pirate-speaking time again, maties?

A very much needed laugh.

[chris olivarez]

Warning:being an Oscar Peterson completist is not for the faint of heart.

Or those not independently wealthy, or those with any sanity remaining. Wow. Just thinking of being an "Oscar Peterson Completist" makes me quake with fear. Let's see; if I give up food, the wife, the cats, any social life whatsoever...nope; still couldn't afford it!

Jazzmoose,Jazzmoose.

[Peter]

I like "Nigerian Market Place", a piano, bass & drum date. And I second the recommendation of "Trio Plus One" with Clark Terry's (great) 'Mumbles' vocals. Having said that, I basicly agree with those having expressed reservations. But I still enjoy him on occassion.

[Shawn]

My main complaint with Oscar is that he steers me towards indifference. I don't hate him, I don't really like him either...he just has never really registered with me. I like his playing when he's supporting other soloists, he puts in numerous good performances on various Verve albums throughout the 50's and early 60's...but I haven't heard any of his leader albums that made me desire a copy of my own. The only exception to that rule is Oscar Peterson Trio+1: Clark Terry. That is one of my all-time favorite jazz albums, but that's because of Terry for the most part.

So for my part I will agree that he's a talented musician, he just doesn't connect with me on any emotional level.

[paul secor]

I don't care for him much as a soloist, but I like some of the records he made backing trumpet players - Louis Armstrong on Verve and Clark Terry on Pablo come to mind. I guess I find him listenable if he's not in the forefront.

The one time I heard him play live was at a concert, and I remember being very frustrated with his playing. He'd play a line that would start to have some originality and feeling, and would immediately follow that with a series of cliches. I left at intermission.

[Leeway]

I agree with you. OP has considerable technical facility, but his playing, or the musical thinking behind it, seems to me utterly conventional. I'm rarely surprised or challenged by OP's playing. Your comment about "cliches" strikes me as spot on. Like you, I do like the way he backed up some of the better horn players of the day. In some ways, he reminds me of Wynton Marsalis-- great technical ability but a fundamental conventionality of musical thought.

[Cliff Englewood]

Songbooks Etcetera

Looking for opinions/advice on this one. Would this be a good way to get a lot of Oscar in one fell swoop? This is what it contains according to Amazon.

Product Description

There are at least five Oscar Petersons on display on this comprehensive 10 CD Box Set representing Oscars work with the legendary Norman Granz and celebrating his 80th birthday on August 15th 2005.......the virtuoso soloist, the leader of a rapidly evolving piano trio, the master accompanist, the indefatigable anchor of the Jazz At The Philharmonic rhythm section, and the devoted chronicler of the American popular song.

CD's 1-5 of AVID's re-mastered set focuses on Oscar's rather neglected work interpreting the Great American Songbook where he and Granz "tried to draw more people into jazz", including works by Kern, Arlen, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Gershwin amongst many others.

CD 6 features Oscars first session with Granz as he accompanies the legendary Billie Holiday across 16 sides that show his talent as an accompanist.

CD's 7-8 capture Oscars collaboration with four leading tenor sax men: Lester Young, Ben Webster, Stan Getz getting fired up with Dizzy Gillespie, and a rare session with the unique Flip Phillips.

CD's 9-10 features the entire 1954 issue from the Jazz At The Philharmonic, including Oscar playing alongside such names as Lester Young, Bill Harris and Ray Brown.

Complete with a fine essay by Dr Richard Palmer AVID's latest release is a testament to a great pianist whose courage, dedication and sheer will shine through in his playing and to a great partnership with his friend, mentor and patron Norman Granz.

[Nate Dorward]

.....a great pianist whose courage, dedication and sheer will shine through in his playing .....

What is it with the constant application of the term "will" (as in "the will to swing") to OP? It makes me think of Leni Riefenstahl.

[JSngry]

What is it with the constant application of the term "will" (as in "the will to swing") to OP?

An unconsious admission that he's fighting to do something that does not come natural to him?

[brownie]

What is it with the constant application of the term "will" (as in "the will to swing") to OP? It makes me think of Leni Riefenstahl.

Sorry but I don't see any connection - artistic or esthetic not to speak of political -between OP and the Nuremberg gatherings that Riefenstahl filmed! None whatsoever!

Nate, you may not be a fan of OP but he deserves better than this!

Edited February 20, 2007 by brownie

[garthsj]

What is it with the constant application of the term "will" (as in "the will to swing") to OP? It makes me think of Leni Riefenstahl.

Sorry but I don't see any connection - artistic or esthetic not to speak of political -between OP and the Nuremberg gatherings that Riefenstahl filmed! None whatsoever!

Nate, you may not be a fan of OP but he deserves better than this!

I agree wholeheartedly with Brownie; Oscar certainly deserves better than a cynical dismissal. There are lots of things that could be said about Oscar Peterson (mostly positive) but to suggest that he does not "swing" certainly should not be one of them. (Of course, this is likely to start a whole new interminable discussion of what "to swing" means).

I had the opportunity to meet Oscar Peterson when I was a student of jazz history at his Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto in 1961. The classes were taught by Oscar, Ray Brown, and Phil Nimmons ... I may not have agreed with everything they said, but to sit in classroom with those musicians and have them "illustrate" their talks was an unforgettable experience. Also, Oscar was, and by all acounts remains one of the true gentlemen of jazz ...

I should also point out just for the record, that as the author of several books on the subject of "propaganda" I am fully qualified to state witihout equivocation that there is absolutely no comparison between Leni's "will" to propagandize, and Oscar's "will" to play great jazz! So there ...!

Edited February 21, 2007 by garthsj

[AllenLowe]

what can you say about a musician who said Monk was important as a composer but not as a pianist?

I hate him. Can't stand his playing. Glib....pre-digested...fake blues player...no taste...no feeling...annoying musician, everything sounds the same...and read his autobiography to understand why he is such a shallow musician...

did I mention that I hate him?

no offense to everyone, but there is no musician in any style or form that I find more annoying. Less feeling than Kenny G...more like Mantovani...or Ferrante and Teicher. Andre Previn plays as well as OP. I can do a good imitation of OP playing the blues on the piano, and I suck on the piano - though even I play the instrument with more feeling than OP - no kidding here, it ain't vanity it's reality -

I hate him - his playing is like a fingernail against a blackboard - more than one well-known pianist, by the way, has agreed with me about OP, but off-the-record -

I HATE HIM

but that's just my opinion...

[AllenLowe]

and let's stop those Nazi comparison's - unfair to the Nazis - though I am told by people in the know that Der Fuehrer, in late-night sessions at Berchtesgarden, played much like Oscar - only thing he lacked was a good rhythm section -

[AllenLowe]

I mean, I can forgive Germany for Hitler - but the Canadians are on my shi# list forever -

Edited February 21, 2007 by AllenLowe

[Bluesman]

I used to like OP a lot, but then I heard Bill Evans.

[B. Clugston]

I mean, I can forgive Germany for Hitler - but the Canadians are on my shi# list forever -

If OP is the worst thing we can come up with, that's a heck of a lot better than Bush Jr., Kenny G and the pilot of the Enola Gay.

[alocispepraluger102]

I used to like OP a lot, but then I heard Bill Evans.

did i hear that MANY decades ago OP was playing very creative stuff in a club, for awhile till he got practical? that was long before i ever heard of him.

Edited February 21, 2007 by alocispepraluger102

[alocispepraluger102]

I mean, I can forgive Germany for Hitler - but the Canadians are on my shi# list forever -

If OP is the worst thing we can come up with, that's a heck of a lot better than Bush Jr., Kenny G and the pilot of the Enola Gay.

the oscar trio(w/herb ellis)did an at-times smoking and often pretty date with bro. getz.

the very ancient oscar trio +one clark terry is very palatable to these ears.

Edited February 21, 2007 by alocispepraluger102

[AllenLowe]

I will mention, in all fairness, that Bill Evans admired OP's playing greatly -

[marcello]

If there is one really great OP record, this is it:

[alocispepraluger102]

If there is one really great OP record, this is it:

missed that one. can it be reasonably acquired?

[marcello]

If there is one really great OP record, this is it:

missed that one. can it be reasonably acquired?

It's really a perfect Peterson record. The only one you need to have.

$11.98

Edited February 21, 2007 by marcello

[alocispepraluger102]

If there is one really great OP record, this is it:

missed that one. can it be reasonably acquired?

It's really a perfect Peterson record. The only one you need to have.

$11.98

thanks!

[Nate Dorward]

What is it with the constant application of the term "will" (as in "the will to swing") to OP? It makes me think of Leni Riefenstahl.

Sorry but I don't see any connection - artistic or esthetic not to speak of political -between OP and the Nuremberg gatherings that Riefenstahl filmed! None whatsoever!

Nate, you may not be a fan of OP but he deserves better than this!

Sorry: perhaps my point wasn't clear. It's not really about OP at all (a pianist whom I don't like & I don't dislike: though in Canada saying you don't like OP would be punishable by death if we still had the death penalty). It's about this weird use of the word "will", which has connotations that I find really inappropriate for jazz & swinging, & yet the word keeps turning up in supposedly positive descriptions of Peterson's playing. My allusion to The Triumph of the Will was just to make this point about those dodgy connotations of "will", not to suggest any analogy between OP's music & that film!

Edited February 21, 2007 by Nate Dorward

[brownie]

Thanks Nate for the clarification!

I get your point better now.