The legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson was one of the most admired of his era, his speed and dexterity matching that of his idol Art Tatum, drawing on swing, blues and classical influences in his music. He is perhaps most famous for his recordings with his classic trios of the 1950s, and this 52-track 3-CD collection captures him in that era on a series of early album releases on Norman Granz’s Clef label in which he interprets the work of the some of the most renowned of the Great American Songbook composers.
The collection features the entire contents of the albums “Oscar Peterson Vincent Youmans”, “Oscar Peterson Plays Harry Warren”, “Oscar Peterson Plays Harold Arlen”, “Oscar Peterson Plays Jimmy McHugh” and “Oscar Peterson Plays Count Basie”. On these albums he works in his favoured trio format with bass player Ray Brown and variously with guitarists Barney Kessel and Ray Ellis, with drummer Buddy Rich also featured on the “Plays Count Basie” album.
He is a master interpreter of this kind of repertoire, bringing his special stamp to some of the finest pop and jazz standards, and it’s a great showcase for one of the genre’s most illustrious practitioners.
CD 1
1. TEA FOR TWO The Oscar Peterson Trio
2. TIME ON MY HANDS The Oscar Peterson Trio
3. I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW The Oscar Peterson Trio
4. SOMETIMES I'M HAPPY The Oscar Peterson Trio
5. GREAT DAY The Oscar Peterson Trio
6. MORE THAN YOU KNOW The Oscar Peterson Trio
7. HALLELUJAH The Oscar Peterson Trio
From ‘Oscar Peterson Plays Plays Jimmy Mc Hugh
(Clef MGC649) 1955CARIOCA The Oscar Peterson Trio
9. WITHOUT A SONG The Oscar Peterson Trio
10. I WANT TO BE HAPPY The Oscar Peterson Trio
From ‘Oscar Peterson Plays Vincent Youmans’
(Clef MGC625) 1954
11. NAGASAKI The Oscar Peterson Trio
12. SERENADE IN BLUE The Oscar Peterson Trio
13. LULLABY OF BROADWAY The Oscar Peterson Trio
14. I FOUND A MILLION DOLLAR BABY IN A FIVE AND TEN CENT STORE The Oscar Peterson Trio
15. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE A WALK The Oscar Peterson Trio
16. I'LL STRING ALONG WITH YOU The Oscar Peterson Trio
17. I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU The Oscar Peterson Trio
18. YOU MUST HAVE BEEN A BEAUTIFUL BABY The Oscar Peterson Trio
From ‘Oscar Peterson Plays Harry Warren’
(Clef MGC648) 1955
CD 2
1. YOU'RE GETTING TO BE A HABIT WITH ME The Oscar Peterson Trio
2. CHATTANOOGA CHOO CHOO The Oscar Peterson Trio
3. YOU'RE MY EVERYTHING The Oscar Peterson Trio
From ‘Oscar Peterson Plays Harry Warren’
(Clef MGC648) 1955
4. AS LONG AS I LIVE The Oscar Peterson Trio
5. I GOTTA RIGHT TO SING THE BLUES The Oscar Peterson Trio
6. COME RAIN OR COME SHINE The Oscar Peterson Trio
7. AC-CENT-TCHU-ATE THE POSITIVE The Oscar Peterson Trio
8. BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA The Oscar Peterson Trio
9. I'VE GOT THE WORLD ON A STRING The Oscar Peterson Trio
10. IT'S ONLY A PAPER MOON The Oscar Peterson Trio
11. THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC The Oscar Peterson Trio
12. LET'S FALL IN LOVE The Oscar Peterson Trio
13. STORMY WEATHER The Oscar Peterson Trio
14. BLUES IN THE NIGHT The Oscar Peterson Trio
15. OVER THE RAINBOW The Oscar Peterson Trio
From ‘Oscar Peterson Plays Harold Arlen’
(Clef MGC649) 1955
16. WHEN MY SUGAR WALKS DOWN THE STREET The Oscar Peterson Trio
17. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU'RE IN LOVE WITH ME The Oscar Peterson Trio
18. ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET The Oscar Peterson Trio
From ‘Oscar Peterson Plays Jimmy Mc Hugh
(Clef MGC649) 1955
CD 3
1. DON'T BLAME ME The Oscar Peterson Trio
2. I'M IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE The Oscar Peterson Trio
3. I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE The Oscar Peterson Trio
4. I COULDN'T SLEEP A WINK LAST NIGHT The Oscar Peterson Trio
5. DIGGA DIGGA DOO The Oscar Peterson Trio
6. YOU'RE A SWEETHEART The Oscar Peterson Trio
From ‘Oscar Peterson Plays Plays Jimmy Mc Hugh
(Clef MGC649) 1955
7. LESTER LEAPS IN The Oscar Peterson Quartet
8. EASY DOES IT The Oscar Peterson Quartet
9. 9:20 SPECIAL The Oscar Peterson Quartet
10. JUMPING AT THE WOODSIDE The Oscar Peterson Quartet
11. BLUES FOR BASIE The Oscar Peterson Quartet
12. BROADWAY The Oscar Peterson Quartet
13. BLUE AND SENTIMENTAL The Oscar Peterson Quartet
14. TOPSY The Oscar Peterson Quartet
15. ONE O'CLOCK JUMP The Oscar Peterson Quartet
16. JIVE AT FIVE The Oscar Peterson Quartet
From ‘Oscar Peterson Plays Count Basie’
(Clef MGC706) 1956
