Live at the Blue Note [Box set]

Oscar Peterson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 28, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B0002VEXE6
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,346 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #34 in Music > World Music > North America > Canada
  • #74 in Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > Swing General
  • #74 in Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > General AAS

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Introductions

2. Honeysuckle Rose

3. Let There Be Love

4. Peace For South Africa

5. Sushi

See all 8 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Kelly's Blues

2. Nighttime

3. Medley: Love Ballade/If You Only Knew

4. You Look Good To Me

5. Old Folks

See all 7 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Jim

2. Yours Is My Heart Alone

3. Medley: It Never Entered My Mind/Body And Soul

4. Wheatland

5. Medley: Our Waltz/Adagio/Bach's Blues

See all 7 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. Falling In Love With Love

2. Here's That Rainy Day

3. Medley: Goodbye Old Girl/He Has Gone

4. The Gentle Waltz

5. Billie's Bounce

See all 8 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This four-disc set collects the previously released CDs of Peterson's legendary three-night stand in 1990 at the renowned New York City club. Featuring longtime compatriots Herb Ellis and Ray Brown, the "trio" here is actually a quartet with drummer Bobby Durham, who'd played with Peterson in the late 1960s. The collection offers prime playing and stands as a sort of summation of Peterson's longstanding work with both Brown and Ellis. It was only a few years after these performances that the pianist suffered a stroke, from which he recovered, but which altered his style, costing him the stridency of his left hand. Among the first jazz recordings for what up until then had been a classical label, the sets were captured with the warmth and clarity for which Telarc has become known. --David Greenberger

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply wonderful . . ., January 1, 2005

By 

Ronald Scheer "rockysquirrel" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live at the Blue Note (Audio CD)

Live performance adds a dimension to jazz recordings typically missing in the studio, where there's not the influence of the appreciative audience shaping the music and the interplay between artists. Add to that the exquisite precision of first-class recording techniques, and you get a breath-taking album such as this one - a 4-CD set, with over 4 and a half hours of music that is simply wonderful.

This is the "legendary" Oscar Peterson Trio of the 1950s (plus drummer Bobby Durham), reunited in 1990 for the first time since guitarist Herb Ellis left the group in 1958. The recording was made during the final three days of a two-week run at New York's Blue Note, following a similar gig in Japan. They are in prime form, and if jazz historian Alyn Shipton's notes are any indication, their performance is less "combative" than the 1950s group and more the gracefully elegant play of gentle giants.

The program is a fine mix of rousing, upbeat numbers and sweet ballads, including both original compositions and old standards. All were released earlier and at a time when Telarc was establishing its jazz catalog after years in the forefront as a classical label. The boxed set includes a 12-page booklet with an informative essay by Shipton recounting the emergence of Oscar Peterson as a Canadian pianist invited to play at Carnegie Hall, the formation of the trio, its evolution over the years, plus a song-by-song appreciation of the whole program.

There are 28 songs in the set, ten of them running longer than 10 minutes, allowing for generous helpings of musical ideas that build in excitement or explore the intricacies of their moods, meanwhile showcasing the creative ingenuity of each member of the group. If you like Oscar Peterson, you'll love the reissue of these wonderful recordings.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On the top of the Peterson list!, December 15, 2004

By 

Fred Feldman (elkins park, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live at the Blue Note (Audio CD)

I can't say too much about this set as I just got it a few days ago. However, I have listened to it all at least once (the first disc--a few times). First of all, I wanted to say that this is a super well put together box. It's not one of those four big jewel cases with a cheapo box around it deals. This is high quality box set style stuff (at a great price): an outer box, and inner fold out box with four well made slim jewel half cases that are really easy to work with (whoever made this must not know that box sets are supposed to be very hard to deal with, and they should cause cardbord scraches or glue marks on the discs-I guess this guy is new, he'll learn).
The music on this set is some of the best OP I have ever heard (the three times the money Pablo four disc set is junk campared to this--that's not news, it has been rather poorly reviewed for a while). I have never seen as many ballads by Peterson in so small a space as this three days Live At The Blue Note-ever. I may be a poor review for Peterson, because I have always liked his slower tunes to the Art Tatum speed stuff he can do--and I know he does it really well, but to hear as many slow tunes as we hear on this collection was a nice bonus for me.
Of course, all the music here is on four discs that Telarc has releast over the course of a few years, but this box is so well made, and it takes so little real-estate to house it in your music library, I can only see giving this five stars. And, being a Telarc release, you know the sound quality is close to audiophile (and I THINK all Telarc discs are DDD. This set is live DDD, so don't worry about this sounding like Charlie Parker's "Rocker" date. This is first class all the way.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius in a Nutshell, January 9, 2007

By 

Rolf Aderhold (Hannover, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Live at the Blue Note (Audio CD)

If you are a Peterson fan, simply click on "Buy" and enjoy some unrivalled performances by Peterson and his most trusted allies. If you are new to the Oscar Peterson phenomenon, read on. Oscar Peterson, perhaps jazz's technially most gifted pianist, had been extremely successful for more than four decades when he undertook it to record his most celebrated group live in the unrivalled setting of New York's foremost jazz club, the Blue Note. Shortly after he made these records, Peterson suffered a stroke that limited the use of his left hand. He has made several outstanding rcords since, but on them he only played better than most other jazz pianists. On the Blue Note records, he played better than ALL of them. Everything people marvel about when talking about Peterson can be found here - Peterson's absolute mastery of the piano, his own, intriguing compositions (most of the tunes are his, and I personally favour his moving "Nighttime"), some deeply felt blues pieces ("Bach's Blues"), some gentle swing tunes ("Let There Be Love"), and some surprising interpretations of standards ("Here's That Rainy Day"). His support is superlative. Ray Brown, who is now deceased, was for many, many year's jazz's no. 1 bassist. In a well-rehearsed union with guitarist Herb Ellis, his musicality was a major contribution to the success of a trio that achieved legendary status within only a few short years. Thus, these records turned out to be the summary of the career of one of the foremost jazz pianists of the 20th century. So, if you are interested in the art of the jazz piano, you do not need to look any further. Here's everything. Listen and enjoy.