Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson (20-Bit Master) [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Ben Webster, Oscar Peterson

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 20, 1997)
• Original Release Date: November 6, 1959
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B0000047D8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,016 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jazz at Its Best, February 5, 2001

By	D. Mataconis (Bristow, Virginia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

They don't come much better than Ben Webster and Oscar Peterson. And this CD demonstrates why.

From Webster's opening on "The Touch of Your Lips" to the final notes of "This Can't Be Love", these two great artists combined to create one of the best albums in jazz history. Its impossible to listen to this and not find yourself getting carried away. The highlight of the album, though, is Webster's rendition of "In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning". As the liner notes state, its not surprising that Webster captures this Sinatra classic perfectly given the fact that he'd probably listened to it hundreds of times before this recording was made. All the same, the lush, lyrical, tone he achieves is simply awesome, and it lead me to wonder what a duet between Ben and Frank might've sounded like.......

Not only do you need to buy this album right now, when you get it you need to play it as loud as possible with all the windows open. Everyone in the world deserves to hear this one.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOW THIS IS WHAT JAZZ IS ALL ABOUT, August 1, 2002

By	Giovanni (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

Ben Webster and Oscar Peterson...two of the most revered names in music history. It doesn't get much finer than this album. While this CD will leave you yearning for more because there are only a handful of tracks here; the sentiment and urgency of the playing here transports one to uncharted delightful heights. When I first heard this version of IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS OF THE MORNING, I suspected it was Ben Webster, but literally stopped what I was doing and hoped the radio station would announce who it was (luckilly they did and I confirmed what I thought!) What a great surprise it was to find my favorite pianist, the immortal Oscar Peterson was backing Ben on this wonderful album!
At that point I rushed to find this CD. The ballads, in addition to the aforementioned WEE SMALL HOURS, are absolutely gorgeous. The beautiful heartache in the reading of WHEN YOUR LOVER HAS GONE borders on definitive. SUNDAY and THE TOUCH OF YOUR LIPS lope along in a somewhat swinging vein, and are equally as classic. Norman Granz often paired up some unlikely stars with fantastic (and sometimes surprisingly so) results. This is one such occassion that really comes across. A classic album that must be heard and must be had!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterwork by Two Masters, March 11, 2002

By	Kenneth James Michael MacLean (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews

Wow. I dug this CD out of my collection today and had another listen, and I'm sure glad I did.
Today's jazz is all over the place, with different jazz styles and a lot of indifferent playing as well. But this recording is the work of 2 masters of their instruments. Swinging, bluesy and melodic, all of the tunes are on a such a high level. It is a delight to listen to, and never gets stale. Anyone can swing and play a lot of notes, but it takes a real master to play ballads. Ben Webster's playing on this recording is at the very highest level ever recorded. He's authoritative, bluesy, and seductive.
This music has a quality you just don't hear anymore in today's jazz. It comes from an era (1959) when all of the very best jazz musicians were alive at the same time, competing for an audience and listening to each other's recordings.
Whether you are a collector, or just a listener who appreciates great music, this is a must buy.