Oscar Peterson - Exclusively for My Friends (Box Set 1992/2014) [Official Digital Download 24/88]

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Oscar Peterson - Exclusively for My Friends (Box Set 1992/2014) [Official Digital Download 24/88]

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Oscar Peterson has stated that he feels his MPS recordings are his finest. That is quite a statement considering the huge amount of records that the pianist has produced through the past 50 years. This set reissues the music from six of his MPS LPs: Action, Girl Talk, The Way I Really Play, My Favorite Instrument, Mellow Mood, and Travelin' On. While some of the performances feature the 1963 trio he had with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen, most of the music dates from 1967-1968 and matches Peterson with bassist Sam Jones and either Louis Hayes or Bobby Durham on drums. A special treat is Peterson's first unaccompanied solo album, which fills up the final LP. Peterson's many fans know what to expect in this set, while other listeners need to discover him to realize what all of the fuss was about. Quite simply, Oscar Peterson has long been one of the greatest pianists the world has ever known; this reissue offers plenty of proof.

Oscar Peterson developed a friendship with Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, who proceeded to record the pianist in his first-rate studio beginning in the early '60s, even though Peterson was under an exclusive contract to Verve at the time. The solution to this problem was to wait until after it expired, and then a number of these sessions were released on various BASF or MPS LPs (and later on Pausa LP reissues). Action represents some of Peterson's earliest work for Brunner-Schwer; these sessions were recorded before an invited audience in the studio, with the pianist's working trio of Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen. The group seems extremely relaxed and inspired by the small group of loyal fans, with a brisk waltz treatment of "At Long Last Love" and an extended workout of fellow pianist Billy Taylor's ballad "Easy Walker" starting things off with a flourish. Their approach to "Tin Tin Deo" is remarkably subtle, while Peterson is at his most lyrical during a pair of Gershwin selections, "I've Got a Crush on You" and "A Foggy Day." The influence of Art Tatum is apparent with Peterson's darting runs in "Like Someone in Love".

Tracklist:

01 - At Long Last Love
02 - Easy Walker
03 - Tin Tin Deo
04 - I've Got a Crush On You
05 - A Foggy Day
06 - Like Someone in Love

Produced, Recorded and engineered by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer.
Recorded at the private studio of Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer on 27 March 1963 and 24 April 1964.

Musicians:
Oscar Peterson - piano
Ray Brown - double bass
Ed Thigpen - drums

One of a number of memorable albums recorded by Oscar Peterson for MPS during the mid-'60s, Girl Talk was compiled from several live studio sessions taped between 1964 and 1966, with bassist Sam Jones and either Bobby Durham or Louis Hayes on drums. Peterson's romping right hand helps this normally bland show tune. The pianist's imaginative unaccompanied introduction to "I'm in the Mood for Love" adds a new dimension to this old chestnut, with the rhythm section making a belated entrance; it is rather unusual to hear the trio play on just one song for 17 minutes. The title track, an overlooked gem jointly written by Bobby Troup and Neal Hefti, finds the leader in a bluesy mood. The relaxed but jaunty treatment of "Robbin's Nest" follows a powerful medley of "I Concentrate on You" and "Moon River" to wrap up this highly recommended session.

Tracklist:

01 - On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
02 - I'm in the Mood for Love
03 - Girl Talk
04 - I Concentrate On You / Moon River
05 - Robbin's Nest

Produced, Recorded and Engineered by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer.
Recorded at the private studio of Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer on 18 October 1965, 24 March 1966 and 12 November 1967.

Musicians:
Oscar Peterson - piano
Sam Jones - double bass
Bobby Durham or Louis Hayes - drums

The third volume of Oscar Peterson's Exclusively for My Friends series, all recorded with an invited audience in the warm studio of producer Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, features live trio sessions with bassist Sam Jones and drummer Bobby Durham. The program opens with an unusual medley of Ray Brown's "Waltzing Is Hip" (played with gusto) and a gently swinging "Satin Doll." The influence of Art Tatum is apparent during his intricate runs within "Love Is Here to Stay," while the multifaceted original "Sandy's Blues" (dedicated to his wife) combines a dark mood with a swinging setting. The lighthearted waltzing treatment of "Alice in Wonderland" is pure joy, while another original, "Noreen's Nocturne," is simply a showstopper.

Tracklist:

01 - Waltzing Is Hip
02 - Satin Doll
03 - Love Is Here to Stay
04 - Sandy's Blues
05 - Alice in Wonderland
06 - Noreen's Nocturne

Produced, Recorded and Engineered by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer.
Recorded at the private studio of Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer on 12 November 1967.

Musicians:
Oscar Peterson - piano
Sam Jones - double bass
Bobby Durham - drums

Oscar Peterson recorded a remarkable amount of albums during his career but, surprisingly, this was his first full record of unaccompanied piano solos. Some observers consider his MPS recordings to be his best (quite a few are collected in the four-CD reissue Exclusively for My Friends, including this one). The solo album features Peterson (freed from the constraints of his trio) stretching out on nine familiar standards and really tearing into a few of them, including "Perdido," "Bye Bye Blackbird," "Lulu's Back in Town," while giving "Little Girl Blue" a beautiful and lyrical treatment. A prelude to his outstanding Pablo recordings, My Favorite Instrument is one of Peterson's top albums of the 1960s.

Tracklist:

01 - Someone to Watch Over Me
02 - Perdido
03 - Body and Soul
04 - Who Can I Turn To
05 - Bye Bye Blackbird
06 - I Should Care
07 - Lulu's Back in Town
08 - Little Girl Blue
09 - Take the "A" Train

Produced, Recorded and Engineered by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer.
Recorded at the private studio of Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer on 1 April 1968.

Musicians:
Oscar Peterson - piano

The fifth volume of Oscar Peterson's Exclusively for My Friends series is another lively trio affair with Sam Jones and Bobby Durham, though the album title Mellow Mood is a bit deceptive. "In a Mellow Tone" plunges in full force with a bluesy performance, with the audience responding to Peterson's opening solo as Durham switches from brushes to sticks. Peterson's amusing detour into Mercer Ellington's "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" and Jones' driving bass add to its appeal. His arrangement of Horace Silver's "Nica's Dream" begins quietly before he slowly turns on the turbochargers in an inspired performance. Gone is the overly dramatic introduction to "On Green Dolphin Street" heard during the earlier 1961 sessions at the London House; this interpretation is far more compelling as it doesn't seek to overwhelm the listener with the pianist's technique. The snappy take of "Summertime" is infused with a blues feeling in a brisk setting, while "Who Can I Turn To" evokes the memory of Art Tatum, though this composition was obviously never recorded by Oscar's good friend. Peterson fires up the tempo as Jones and Durham join him.

Tracklist:

01 - In a Mellotone
02 - Nica's Dream
03 - Green Dolphin Street
04 - Summertime
05 - Sometimes I'm Happy
06 - Who Can I Turn to (When Nobody Needs Me)

Produced, Recorded and Engineered by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer.
Recorded at the private studio of Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer on 30-31 March 1968.

Musicians:
Oscar Peterson - piano
Sam Jones - double bass
Bobby Durham - drums

This is yet another memorable concert by the Oscar Peterson Trio recorded in Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer's excellent studio. With bassist Sam Jones and drummer Bobby Durham, Peterson tears into the old gospel favorite "Travelin' On" with a passion second to none. Following it is a beautiful treatment of Johnny Mandel's timeless ballad "Emily," which runs for over ten minutes but never loses its impact. Durham sets the pace with his soft percussion to set up Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Corcovado" (later known as "Quiet Nights"), though Peterson devours the song whole with a breathtaking display of his formidable technique. Francy Boland's "Sax No End" was a relatively new composition, having been recorded for the first time just the previous year by the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band. But one can almost hear a larger ensemble by listening to Peterson's virtuoso interpretation in an uptempo setting, assisted by Jones' agile bass and Durham's steady percussion. Peterson cools off his audience with an extended exploration of Benny Carter's "When Lights Are Low," though his fresh approach makes it seem like a brand new composition. Like other releases in Oscar Peterson's Exclusively for My Friends series, Travelin' On is warmly recommended.

Tracklist:

01 - Travelin' On
02 - Emily
03 - Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars
04 - Sax No End
05 - When Lights Are Low

Produced, Recorded and Engineered by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer.
Recorded at the private studio of Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer on 1 April 1968.

Musicians:
Oscar Peterson - piano


Digitally remastered.
Thanks to the Original customer!