The Complete Clef/Mercury Studio Recordings of the Oscar Peterson Trio (1951-1953) Review by Ken Dryden
Oscar Peterson appeared on hundreds of recordings produced by Norman Granz, though most of his early trio dates for Mercury and Clef were overlooked for CD reissue until the release of this thorough seven-disc compilation by Mosaic in 2008. It still represents only a portion of the pianist's considerable output for the two labels between 1951 and 1953. This collection was put together as a result of laborious detective work, assembling nine different sessions from tape masters and second generation reels, 78s, EPs and LPs, some of which came from collectors and libraries, while also including eight previously unissued performances. In spite of the variation in source material, the audio is consistently high, thanks to Malcolm Addey's skillful sound restoration and mastering. The biggest news is that the guitarist on most of these dates is Barney Kessel, who spent just over a year in Peterson's trio, with Irving Ashby taking his place on one session. The pianist had already built a relationship with bassist Ray Brown, but the addition of Kessel added some spark to the mix. The chemistry becomes apparent in the extended jam of Peterson's "Astaire Blues" (which isn't a blues at all), with rapid-fire exchanges between the players. The performances have held up very well, due to the abilities of the musicians and the choice of material, as most of the 126 songs are either well known standards or originals by prominent jazz composers. Peterson penned several originals (none of which became a lasting part of his vast repertoire) and sings on several numbers, beginning with "Until the Real Thing Comes Along," but the similarity of his vocal style to Nat King Cole's kept it from being a major component of his career, even though he made a few vocal albums and still occasionally sang into at least the early '80s. John McDonough's extensive liner notes are excellent, though it is odd that the misspelling of several musician's names (Major Holley, Chico O'Farrill and Tadd Dameron) and composer Ann Ronnell escaped the proofreader. The package also includes a number of rarely seen vintage photographs from the period. This essential Oscar Peterson boxed set, a limited edition of 10,000 copies, is destined to become a collector's item.
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