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Song Is You Best Of The Verve
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| Editorial Reviews: | | |  | | When Peterson burst upon the scene in the early 1950s he hit jazz with a shock wave from which it never recovered. These earlier recordings had a vivid enchantment that hasn't dimmed with the passing of almost half a century. But here, in these 32 tracks from the 50s, is the essence of his early maturity. Subtitled "The Best Of The Verve Songbooks", the trios deal here in standards and there is every kind of swing one could imagine and there isn't the flamboyance that went with some of his concert playing. There are also triumphs of reflective playing like "Prelude To A Kiss" and "It Ain't Necessarily So". These were the best of Peterson's trios. Bassist Ray Brown is in them all and they were usually completed by guitarist Barney Kessel or his successor Herb Ellis. The last 10 tracks are without guitar and have the drummer Ed Thigpen instead. It's interesting how Peterson varies his approach. One can see the thought behind the change, for the rhythm guitar inevitably places some restrictions on the piano improvisations. On the other hand the solos by Kessel and Ellis are glorious in this context and any carping has to be about fine-tuning! --Steve Voce | |
| Custom Reviews: | |
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| Distinctively Peterson . . . Only A Bit Mellower, But Still Remarkable | |
| | "Jazz musicians normally choose tunes whose melodic and harmonic implications offer them the fullest opportunity to express their art and define their style: very often, the process will take them a long way from the composer's intention and mood. But here Peterson and his confrères are primarily concerned with the composers' art, and not their own. Not for nothing are the albums known as "the songbook series," the accent is on the American popular song at its best." ~ Richard Palmer ~
For those who are familiar with Oscar Peterson Songbook series, there is nothing new to this two-CD-set, "The Song Is You: Best of the Verve Songbooks." However, what makes this set worthy to any Peterson aficionado is that it consists of the best of the best in the Songbook series produced by Norman Granz under Verve Records. The thirty-two most outstanding tracks were selected from twenty different albums that he recorded between 1952 and 1959 representing the timeless melodies of the most brilliant composers of all-time: George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Jimmy McHugh, Jerome Kern, Duke Ellington, Richard Rodgers, Harry Warren, Harold Arlen and Vincent Youmans.
In these recordings, the genius of jazz piano is competently supported by Ray Brown (bass), Ed Thigpen (drums), Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis (guitar).
The late Mr. Peterson once said that "he never tried to sound like a trumpet or a clarinet. He was taught to respect the piano for what it was. And it spoke with a certain voice. And that was what he was determined to bring forward." That is especially true with his superb renditions of all the tunes from this impressive set, which highlights "Cheek To Cheek," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "Tea For Two," "Without A Song" and "The Song Is You" on Disc One, and "I Only Have Eyes For You," "Come Rain Or Come Shine," "A Foggy Day," "Serenade In Blue" and "The Song Is Ended" on Disc Two. There are two versions of "Blue Moon" -- the first version on Disc One was taken from "Plays Richard Rodgers" recorded in December of 1953, and the other version on Disc Two was taken from "The Richard Rodgers Songbook" recorded in 1959. Both recordings feature Brown and Ellis.
Richard Palmer, who in 1996 recently completed a collaboration with Peterson on the pianist's then-forthcoming autobiography, "A Jazz Odyssey: My Life in Jazz," has written a very informative Liner Notes stating that if "they do not present Peterson the jazz pianist at his most ambitious, majestic, or definitive, you cannot understand Peterson the accompanist, Peterson the musical brain, or Peterson the mature virtuoso without a proper recognition of what these sessions did to and for him."
This was what Brown had to say about Peterson's beautiful arrangements on these recordings shortly after their fifteen-year partnership came to an end, and I quote: "We worked hard at it every day, every night. And if you want to be good playing jazz, you have to work at it all the time. We did a variety of things, and Oscar wrote some hard music, but he didn't write it down. We had to memorize all of it."
This set is a welcome addition to your Peterson collection. I graciously recommend it. It's a great listen!
| | | Fine selection of material from the songbooks recorded by PETERSON during the fifties.Two versions of BLUE MOON,you may ask why they included both?The approach differ completely and are fascinating to compare.OSCAR seems to have had lots of fun with the VINCENT YOUMANS songs:TEA FOR TWO,I WANT TO BE HAPPY and WITHOUT A LOVE.On these particular tunes,he went the adventurous way.This is perfect to listen to after a hard day at work,when no one wants to talk at supper time.So far,four originals among these records have appeared on the cd market;they have assembled the DUKE ELLINGTON songbooks into one cd(2 on 1)and they did the same with ARLEN,GERSHWIN and PORTER.The others will hopefully follow.If you may let me give you an advice,i'll tell you this:by listening to those two cds,learn your favorites and then buy the cds of the composers you like best.
| | | If you like the old favorites and you like the piano player to keep the melody up front and recognizable, you'll love this CD. This is the Oscar Peterson I like best; he strikes the right balance between the way the melody was meant to be played and his easily recognizable crisp and lively style. It may sound strange but his style even keeps faith with the lyrics of these fine songs that we all know. He plays and we listen and even start singing along. Even though this CD is filled with great renditions, my favorites are "What Is This Thing Called Love,""Prelude To A Kiss," and, "A Foggy Day." Buy it and find your own favorites .... you'll love it.
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