Oscar Peterson - Exclusively for my Friends

Johnny Vinyl

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 16, 2010
8,570
51
38
Calgary, AB
it was "in stock" when i made the post. elusive is also out of them, me thinks that's all they'll get...

Wasn't this a very limited run of 250 copies?
 

astrotoy

VIP/Donor
May 24, 2010
1,547
1,017
1,715
SF Bay Area
dunno, but if true you then you can forgettabout restocks.

According to Volker's website, it was 250 copies. I got one with my order of the 6 albums on R2R. It is intended as a bonus for those ordering the complete vinyl set (and, I guess, the complete tape set).

Now I have to find my adapter to fill in the big 45rpm hole in the middle of the record.


Larry
 

astrotoy

VIP/Donor
May 24, 2010
1,547
1,017
1,715
SF Bay Area
I've played through the first 3 of the Oscar Peterson albums on R2R. I'm not a jazz fan, but the combination of getting first generation copies of the master tapes and hearing Oscar Peterson got me to order the set of albums.

Some observations. First, Peterson is a great pianist - both lots of intricate detail and soul in his playing. Sonics are quite fine, some albums a bit better than others. There is an intimacy to the recordings, not quite you are there in the studio with him, but very close. Peterson has chosen a bunch of great standards for most of the pieces. They are great tunes, and his improvisations often have interpolations of short bits of other great tunes mixed in - very nicely done, which adds to the enjoyment of the piece. Second, I do get put off a bit by his humming - although it is pretty quiet, in the background most of the time and only in the up tempo numbers. Nothing like Glenn Gould humming in his Bach recordings for Columbia. Third, most of the pieces so far feature Peterson and the piano and don't generally have the solos by the drummer or bass player, which I typically have heard in most of the jazz albums I have - like Waltz for Debby. Forth, the albums appear to have cuts from different microphone and instrument configurations. Peterson is always in the center, but sometime the piano is fairly narrowly focused, while in other cuts, the piano is spread wide - with treble toward the right and bass toward the left. The drums are almost always dead to the left, with the bass sometimes behind the piano and sometimes nearer the drums. On one cut, the bass is dead left, while the drums are between the piano and bass. Most of the cuts were recorded with a small live audience with applause at the end of pieces, while a few were done without any applause.

I don't have the vinyl or the digital versions of the albums, except for the bonus 45 while is mentioned above.

The notes with the album say the tapes were remastered by a pair of German engineers. I am guessing that this is the source of the vinyl and digital albums. I am trying to find out whether Peterson is playing his Boesendorfer on these recordings.

Larry
 

c1ferrari

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
May 15, 2010
2,162
51
1,770
Thanks for the informative post, Larry :)
 

Joe Whip

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2014
1,733
557
405
Wayne, PA
For anyone who is interested, these titles are available in 24/88.2 at HIGHResAudio.com. For a total of $35 I will download the set.
 

astrotoy

VIP/Donor
May 24, 2010
1,547
1,017
1,715
SF Bay Area
For anyone who is interested, these titles are available in 24/88.2 at HIGHResAudio.com. For a total of $35 I will download the set.

That looks like a great bargain. Would be interested in your opinion of the quality of the rips. HighResAudio sells each of the six albums for $18 each at the same 24/88 resolution, so $35 for all six albums would be a great deal. In comparision each of the six tapes (copies of the masters) costs about ten times as much as the $35 for all six.

Larry
 

Joe Whip

Well-Known Member
Feb 8, 2014
1,733
557
405
Wayne, PA
I was able to download them today and I listened to a few tracks. The sound is very warm and intimate. It also sounds like there was very little EQ applied to the transfer. If I had a quibble, I would have liked the drums and bass separated a bit more as the post notes above. By that is a very minor quibble as the sound is superb. The get this much material from a jazz master at the peak of his game of this quality at this price, this purchase was a no brainer. It would be interesting one day to hear the reel to reel versions.
 

Andrew Stenhouse

New Member
Feb 14, 2016
171
1
0
Sydney, Australia
Listening to:

View attachment 26105

Superb playing by the sextet for a second date at the workshop. Recommended.

Edit: apologies - posted in the wrong sub forum.
 
Last edited:

spazmatron

Banned
Dec 4, 2015
190
0
0
Somerset, uk
Listening to:

View attachment 26105

Superb playing by the sextet for a second date at the workshop. Recommended.

my mum was shocked (in a good way) when she saw my cannonball adderley collection. not vast but was a blast from the past for her. though her memories were of live preformances, she saw oscar peterson too and enjoys it in my house too boot.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing