Customer Reviews

Night Train

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Night Train is one of the best jazz piano albums I have yet to hear. Oscar Peterson is spellbinding -- both at breakneck and leisurely speeds -- and the ensemble is tight. Favorites here include Ellington's C-Jam Blues (only two notes!), The Honeydripper, Moten Swing, a definitive Band Call and of course a memorable rendition of the title track. I am a huge fan of Dave Brubeck, but one ride on the Night Train and it's obvious Peterson was something special. If you like exciting jazz piano -- this isn't background music -- Night Train is essential.

The bonus tracks? I don't like to complain about getting something for nothing, but it would not be hard to argue that the original album is a classic that needed no embellishment. Even with lesser songs, Peterson turns in a convincing performance and these pass muster. 'Now's the Time' is an amazing bit of keyboard athleticism -- a performance more worthy than the tune. 'This Could Be the Start of Something' is similarly a superior performance of a not-so-superior number.

The jury is still out on Verve's cardboard CD jackets. It looks nice but is destined to fall apart long before the CD fails. Perhaps Verve thought they were doing us a favor. Still a five-star album, but packaging is (a small) part of the equation.

Unlike many jazz piano lovers, I have never thought Oscar Peterson was showing off or playing too many notes, though I also love Count Basie, whose sparse playing goes in the opposite direction.

This album is wonderfully appealing and, could be a great place to start with Oscar if you aren't yet acquainted with his music.

I love every track [but only have the original CD], and appreciate the variety on the recording, from C Jam Blueswith its distinctive percussion and piano and double bass solos, to slow ballads like Hymn To Freedom and Things Ain't What They Used To Be through rollicking songs like Night Train and Moten Swing.
Another terrific album is Tracks, which is one of few solo recordings.

Though some have accused Peterson of being a bit "dry", don't let that keep you away from this absolutely essential album. Very few trio sessions possess a charm so carefree yet romantic, so swingin' yet calm, so rich yet simplistic. This is superb music-making. I recommend it to jazz-haters without reserve: it'll make you change your mind. Peterson serves up warm, passionate performances while the back-up is both muted and solid. I had a first edition LP which I found at a yard sale, bought the CD when it was first released and am happy to own this remastered effort. The purpose of a great remastering/reissue job is to bring out all the nuances of a recording and this rerelease does that and lots more. No CD collection should be without this classic recording. Worth every one of the five stars I've accorded it...

This is one of my most favourite jazz albums of all time. And this remastered version makes a perfect album even more perfect. With it's 6 bonus tracks, meticulous remastering and great packaging, this is a must-have for any jazz lover. Peterson truly is the best jazz pianist of all time, and this is one of his best recordings. The 12 page booklet includes photos of OP, Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen, as well as informative liner notes, including track-by-track notes. For me, the true highlight of this album is the wonderful "Hymn to Freedom" with its tremoloed, chorded climax that almost has you on your feet cheering. This album is much more than just a jazz album...it is a work of art.

Peterson is considered one of the finest jazz pianists of all time, and this is his finest recording! With only three men in his group, he creates different emotions within a song. He is a true genius creating mood swings. And swing it does! Take the opening cut Night Train, near the end the mood is overcast and blue yet by the end of the song Peterson, Thigpen and Brown raise the mood to one of cool optimism. There is not one bad cut in this album. My other favorites are C Note Blues, Moten Swing and Call to Freedom. I first bought this album in 1963 and it has never grown old. Just buy it! You'll love it!

The Oscar Peterson trio were really "on track" when they engineered this album! There isn't anything not to like! Oscar Peterson's jazz stylings clearly demonstrate his mastery of the piano and he proves to his listeners that he richly deserved his induction into the Jazz Hall of Fame.

This trio's playing is really tight and shines brilliantly whether they are really swinging or whether they're emoting on the smoother, slower numbers.

This is the perfect "gateway" album to introduce non-listeners to jazz or to introduce newcomers to Oscar Peterson. To say that this album will appeal to non-jazz listeners isn't meant to diminish it in any way. The skill and execution of these numbers by the trio will dazzle jazz afficionados as well. This CD makes it to my player regularly. I'd highly recommend this album to anyone without any reservations.

This album is what accoustic jazz should be. With Ed thingpen and Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson had the perfect trio and a awesome sound. I would add that he attained such grace with the amazing guitarist Joe Pass too. It seems to me that there are at least two versions of this album. I keep listening to the version with the following last tracks : "Con Alma, Maidens of Cadiz, My Heart Stood still, Woody'n You". Ray Brown here is such a partner and his play on "Con Alma" is incredible. It seems that the choice of numbers and their order add to the greatness of the album. By the way, I wonder where they get all those superb alt. tracks from. What is remarkable is that M. Peterson can play the blues and "boogie woogie" uptempo style with equal talent. Oh! Enough superlatives ! Just get this gem. It won't leave your CD player.

Oscar just died a few days ago, and I've been listening to his stuff and remembering how legendary he was, and for how long.

This is maybe his finest outing (of dozens of fine outings). Every track sparkles with mastery, and the listener is enveloped by truly great musical intelligence. Hearing tunes played this well just makes you feel holy. Night Train is a genuinely evergreen jazz album, perhaps even one of the best. The man swings like Tarzan on jungle crank and takes you on one wild ride after another. Canadians wail too, eh.

I grew up in Toronto in the '60s and '70s, Oscar's adopted hometown, and many was the night my folks would come home from the Town Tavern with big big smiles after yet another session with OP at the keys. Man I wish I could go back there and sit by their side!

Those who say he plays too fast miss the point (Segovia, when asked why he played so fast, smiled and said, "Because I can"). When you are this insanely musical, sometimes you have so many ideas that they just show up at 110 miles an hour. Tatum was even faster, and it's impossible to not call him one of the other handful of jazz piano geniuses.

After the speed arguments etc are done, we are left with astonishingly beautiful music. Peterson's long-long-time bassist Brown never lets him down, and Thigpen is equally tight on the skins. But this album is all about OP, a true master of perhaps the greatest musical instrument of all, in perhaps the most demanding musical idiom of them all.

If Oscar never lived, we would have had to invent him.

I feel,it's one of the best CDs ever recorded for acoustical Jazz,using just the bass,drums and piano. My favorite three personal instruments for acoustical Jazz.I don't anything can surpass it, although their are several recordings that probably could match it in quality.

My title for this review says it completely

From the moment the first note is heard you know that you've found a place that your spirit can live and thrive and be at peace within.

This is musical timing as perfect as it gets, and every piece is enjoyable and energizing.
If I owned only one Jazz CD, this would be it - and easily carry me through a thousands times of listening.

(can anyone think of another recording of which the same could be said?)