Count Basie And Oscar Peterson - Night Rider

Night Rider Review

 

by Scott Yanow

When they first met up for a full album in 1974, the two-piano team of Count Basie and Oscar Peterson must have seemed like an unlikely matchup. After all, Peterson is known for filling up his rapid solos with virtuosic passages while Basie is the master of the "less-is-more" approach, making every note count. But because Peterson has such high respect for Basie, he showed great self-restraint and left room for Basie's percussive solos. Night Rider, like their two previous joint albums, emphasizes the similarities rather than the differences in these two masters' styles.

Count Basie 

Oscar Peterson 

Night Rider       

1. Night Rider" (Oscar Peterson) - 12:38
2. "Memories of You" (Eubie Blake, Andy Razaf) - 4:55
3. "9:20 Special" (William Engvick, Earle Warren) - 3:16
4. "Sweet Lorraine" (Cliff Burwell, Mitchell Parish) - 7:03
5. "It's a Wonderful World" (Harold Adamson, Jan Savitt, Johnny Watson) - 3:17
6. "Blues for Pamela" (Count Basie, Peterson) - 8:06

Recorded February 21, 22, 1978 in Los Angeles:

• Count Basie - piano, organ
• Oscar Peterson - piano
• Louie Bellson - drums
• John Heard - double bass  

Night Rider is a 1978 album by Oscar Peterson and Count Basie.

From Wikipedia