Swiss Radio Days: Jazz Series, Vol. 15 [Remaster]

Performer: Oscar Peterson
Artist: Lester Young; Barney Kessel; Ray Brown
Producer: TCB Music SA
Distributor: Allegro Corporation (Dist

Notes: Personnel: Oscar Peterson (piano); Ella Fitzgerald (vocals); Barney Kessel (guitar); Lester Young (tenor saxophone); Charlie Shavers (trumpet); Ray Brown (upright bass, bass guitar); J.C. Heard (drums). Audio Remasterer: Blaise Favre. Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald made numerous tours as a part of impresario Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic series. Swiss Radio Days, Vol. 15 is a previously unreleased concert in Lausanne, Switzerland, which was recorded for broadcast by Swiss Radio. Fitzgerald's opening set features Peterson, guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer J.C. Heard in a swinging performance. She sticks mostly to favorites that she likely sang thousands of times during her long career: "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Lady Be Good" and "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" among them, with the renditions generally not allowing for a lot of soloing. In addition to standards, she delves into more recent pieces such as Peggy Lee's "Why Don't You Do Right" and the ballad "You Belong to Me." Although she appears briefly in "Lester Leaps In," this performance belongs to Lester Young's exuberant tenor sax, fired by the shout choruses of trumpeter Charlie Shavers and the rhythm section. Peterson's brief trio set with Kessel and Brown is also a welcome addition to his discography, as this group was only together for a little over a year and not well-documented on recordings. They come out blazing at the start of their set with a brisk treatment of "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," followed by a toe-tapping "My Heart Stood Still" in which Peterson and Kessel egg one another on with terrific solos. The one original is Peterson's somewhat obscure "Oscar's Tune," a soft riff tune that proves to be catchy, even if it failed to catch on. The trio closes with a typically swinging treatment of "The Man I Love," with the pianist inserting numerous amusing song quotes. The discovery of treasures such as this live concert make one wonder what else remains to be uncovered in the library of Swiss Radio. ~ Ken Dryden

Among the most prodigiously recorded artists in all of jazz, pianist Oscar Peterson early on forged a strong relationship with producer Norman Granz, and since the 1950s he has been one of the cornerstones of Granz's labels (Verve, Pablo). Peterson has primarily worked in a trio setting, alternately with guitar & bass or bass & drums, though he has also performed solo, with larger groups, and with a full orchestra. Possessing dazzling technique, Peterson always delivers the musical goods in a powerfully swinging style. Peterson passed away December 23, 2007 at the age of 82.

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