Oscar Peterson
The Complete Clef/Mercury Studio Recordings Of The Oscar Peterson Trio (1951-1953)
Mosaic Records
By George W. Harris

In this present day of image, attitude and hype, it’s almost impossible to believe that at one time in America, a musician actually became famous because of the simple fact that he was technically brilliant. No masks, no fog machines, no uniforms. Pianist Oscar Peterson is arguably the last of this category. Bursting on the scene “out of nowhere” in 1949, within a couple of years he was considered one of the most important pianist in jazz, when jazz was actually enthused by the generation that now considers rap a cultural advance. Don’t get me started.

These priceless recordings are by the initial OP3, which included guitarist Barney Kessel (and briefly Irving Ashby) and bassist Ray Brown. These three gents by themselves are among the most recorded individuals in history (414 by OP, 830 by Brown and 469 by Kessel), and it’s not difficult to see why. Their flawless technique, palpable sense of timing and swing and joyfully clean articulation made them the backup band for scores of recordings by the likes of Parker, Holiday, Prez, Carter, Webster and Eldridge. The remarkable amount of recording the OP3 did in barely two years (7 Cds-whew!) is almost as overwhelming as is the quality.

And let’s talk a little about the quality, here. First of all, if you are a musician, these 7 discs have the potential to be the ultimate “Music Minus One” play along set. Just get out your horn, guitar, and even drums (except for a handful of tunes with Alvin Stoller), and join in with the band on every standard you’ll ever want to learn. Guaranteed a career as a musician if you practice along with these cds for a summer.

What also comes across so amazingly is that, at the outset of his career, OP himself had a sound hauntingly similar to The Nat King Cole Trio. There are some tunes like “I Can’t Get Started” or “East Of The Sun” that will stop you in your tracks on a Blindfold test. Also, OP had an incredible singing voice that is somewhere between Nat himself and Charles Brown. As the excellent liner notes point out, at one meeting Mr. Cole went up to Peterson and said, “Look, I’ll make a deal with you. You don’t sing, and I won’t play piano.” He caresses the lyrics to “I’m Glad There Is You” and “Autumn In New York” as if he owns them. He even takes on “Too Marvelous For Words” and sounds just as good as the Cole version. Amazing!

As for the music itself? Forget about it! There’s nothing better on the planet. Most of the songs are under 4 minutes, but they can do more together in that time frame than 99% of the current guys need an hour for. Their 3 way interplay on Pettiford’s Tune” is mind boggling. With drummer Stoller, they stretch out for about 11-13 minutes on a handful of songs like “Tea For Two” and “Oh Lady Be Good” showing their talents along the way. Kessel’s Midwestern tone is gorgeous on “Body and Soul” and kicks out the jams on “Stompin’ At The Savoy.” Most of the other discs are the OP3’s excursion into various “Songbooks” such as Porter, Gershwin, Berlin, Kern, and even Vincent Youman. He wrote tunes like “Without A Song”, “Sometimes I’m Happy”, and “The Carioca” which the OP3 take apart like shredded BBQ pork.

After getting this set, you have the authority to listen to any subsequent version of a standard and decide if it is done properly, since you’ve imbibed the definitive versions with the OP3. As always, it’s a limited edition, so get it now, now NOW at www.mosaicrecords.com