Name your favorite Oscar Peterson album.

Migo · Dec 21, 2015

Seeing that there are a good deal of Oscar fans here, name your one favorite album.....yes only one

Mine would be Night Train.

In a recent interview, Diana Krall said that Oscar Peterson?s Night Train was the album that made her want to be a jazz pianist and specifically made her want to play with Ray Brown. That Ms. Krall achieved those goals and much more only adds to this album?s merits. Peterson seemed to hit commercial and artistic peaks at the same time, and the early sixties was one of those periods. The trio got tighter and more musical as the pressure for larger album sales increased from Verve, and sometimes the results were of the best trio in jazz playing dumbed-down songs to attract more listeners. While the worst offender was We Get Requests, Night Train has received its share of critical brickbats. However, the performance of the tune ?Night Train? may be evidence that Peterson could balance the two factions without compromising either side.

Since ?Night Train? is a blues, it would have been simple enough to just blow through a few choruses and call it done. But Peterson devised a marvelous arrangement instead, one so subtle that it?s easily missed by casual listeners. After the opening theme choruses, Peterson slips into a 2-chorus solo. Then the theme returns, and we realize that all the while, the band has gotten softer and softer. This leads into Brown?s solo, which is unaccompanied to start, and then adds, in turn, Peterson and Thigpen. When Peterson comes in for another chorus of solo, everything starts to build again. Peterson plays a boogie figure in the bass to build the intensity, and then the trio plays a simple but effective shout chorus and then goes back to the theme with a strong crescendo to nearly the end, with a traditional Count Basie tag to close the track. By using the basic elements of crescendo and diminuendo, and arranged sections to set off the parts, Peterson turns what could have been a throwaway into a minor masterpiece.

Reviewer: Thomas Cunniffe

Steve Williams · Dec 21, 2015

Here's mine

Migo · Dec 21, 2015

if the Holbaek Concert was an album it would be mine;

Lee · Dec 21, 2015

Steve beat me to it. We Get Requests is my fave.

Joe Whip · Dec 21, 2015

Two great ones to be sure. All of the trio recordings with Ed Thigpen and Ray Brown are for me, must haves. I have most of them, just missing one an ommision I need to remedy, and will soon. That being said, I love the Plays Jerome Kern Songbook. I play that one a few times a week.

NorthStar · Dec 21, 2015

Oscar Peterson Trio:

1. Night Train
2. On the Town
3. The Jazz Soul Of Oscar Peterson

? http://www.davehuntjazz.com/best-recordings/oscar-peterson.html

JackD201 · Dec 21, 2015

Oscar Peterson Plays the Cole Porter Song Book for me

Ronm1 · Dec 21, 2015

Another vote for ' We Get Requests '

mauidan · Dec 22, 2015

Nice to see a OP music thread, but I think it should be moved to the Jazz music forum.

I have all of the albums mentioned above.

My favorite OP is Nigerian Marketplace a 1981 live album. OP is accompanied by Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Terry Clarke. Recorded at the 1981 Montreux Jazz Festival.

Had the pleasure of hearing OP at the Lincoln Center. He played a blazing opening set for Count Basie and Ella Fitzgerald. When the Count sat down at the piano OP just used, he said "these keys are hot."

jfrech · Dec 22, 2015

I'll vote for the MPS box set, "Exclusively for my Friends"

http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/97750/Oscar_Peterson-Exclusively_For_My_Friends-Vinyl_Box_Sets

Johnny Vinyl · Dec 22, 2015

jfrech said:
I'll vote for the MPS box set, "Exclusively for my Friends"

http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/97750/Oscar_Peterson-Exclusively_For_My_Friends-Vinyl_Box_Sets

Same for me. But for a single album I like:

rsorren1 · Dec 22, 2015

jfrech said:
I'll vote for the MPS box set, "Exclusively for my Friends"

http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/97750/Oscar_Peterson-Exclusively_For_My_Friends-Vinyl_Box_Sets

Another vote for "Exclusively for my Friends", and "Night Train", and "We Get Requests" and.... My only regret is that I never saw him perform in concert. Damn. Every note the man played was perfect.

Detlof · Dec 22, 2015

Lee said:
Steve beat me to it. We Get Requests is my fave.

Both of you beat me to it.

amirm · Dec 22, 2015

Thread moved to Jazz.

Migo · Dec 26, 2015

NorthStar said:
Oscar Peterson Trio:

1. Night Train
2. On the Town
3. The Jazz Soul Of Oscar Peterson

? http://www.davehuntjazz.com/best-recordings/oscar-peterson.html

pheww....was starting to think I was the only one with Night Train:b

Johnny Vinyl · Dec 26, 2015

Migo said:
pheww....was starting to think I was the only one with Night Train:b

Naw....I have it as well. The Speakers Corner reissue is quite nice!

LL21 · Dec 26, 2015

Night Train was my first Oscar Peterson album and i was hooked. MPS, Exclusively for My Friends is probably my favorite.

sbo6 · Dec 26, 2015

1 more for WGRequests....

andy_c · Dec 27, 2015

My favorite is The Sound of the Trio. The CD has a great version of Scrapple from the Apple that's not on the original LP from decades ago. I generally don't like Oscar Peterson that much, but I always liked The Sound of the Trio from the first time I heard it long ago.

brad225 · Jan 4, 2016

jfrech said:
I'll vote for the MPS box set, "Exclusively for my Friends"

http://store.acousticsounds.com/d/97750/Oscar_Peterson-Exclusively_For_My_Friends-Vinyl_Box_Sets

I absolutely agree. I have the 5 discs and they are outstanding.

Name your favorite Oscar Peterson album.

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