Customer Reviews

Class Act

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With no pretense of objectivity here, I want to say I loved this CD. Not for the faint of heart. You may want to get a medical checkup before playing this one. My two favorite cuts are "Tippin' Home from Sunday School" and "Hymn to Freedom." The music made my day, lifted my spirits, and had me dancing around the living room.

I didn't entirely agree with the liner notes. There's more than a little Oscar Peterson influence here, but Oliver has more "down home" gospel feeling, without compromising the "in your face" confidence in his playing. Ed Thigpen delivers a solid, take no prisoners performance that swings like crazy. The bass player, Steve Wallace, knows how to walk his bass with a buoyant, 12/8 resonance that is reminiscent of that other Peterson alumnus, Ray Brown. The group is tight.

The other selections are varied in tempo and rhythmic style and uniformly well-performed. What else can I say? A winner!

This was Oliver's 10th album, and the one that introduced him, finally, to the American market. He is certainly in the same league as the other piano great, Oscar Peterson. This album features 4 Jones' originals, which prove he can write songs as well as anyone. "Tippin' home from Sunday School" is beautiful, as is his rendition of O.P's "Hymn to Freedom", which has always been a personal favourite. He also does justice to Bill Evan's "Very Early". "Fresca" has a light Latin touch to it, and "Stan Pat" is a beautiful calypso piece, with a fantastic drum solo by Ed Thigpen. 3 pages of liner notes gives track-by-track info, as well as a bit about Oliver himself. Recommended.