Oscar Peterson Trio - The Oscar Peterson Trio at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival

Oscar Peterson Trio at Straford Shakespearan Festival

A great recording. I own the LP. Something happened in remastering to CD, as I don't recall a strange sound on the LP that I hear on the Cd. February 8, 2008

A Midsummer Night's Dream Concert With The Oscar Peterson Trio At The Stratford Shakespearean Festival

"I have never felt more relaxed and at ease at a recording session than I have at this one, and I feel that it shows in my playing. I hope that on hearing this album, the listeners agree with me." ~ Oscar Peterson ~

"This is a hit, a very palpable hit that will forever fit the dream concert given at the Shakespearean Festival one midsummer night in 1956." ~ James Isaacs ~

On August 8, 1956, fifty-one years ago today - August 8, 2007, Norman Granz of Verve Records, whom Oscar Peterson admired as a person for his bravery, recorded a live concert by the genius of jazz piano Oscar Peterson, guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown, collectively known as The Oscar Peterson Trio given at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival in Ontario, Canada. As always, the trio impressed the enthusiastic audiences with their gleaming and engaging numbers. The album was released on the same year and in 1993, it was digitally remastered and restored to a CD format. According to commentator Alan Zappert in Jazz On Record 1917-1967, "the original LP was the group's finest, a live performance often seeming to bring out the trio's creative best."

Out of the 11 tracks, two are previously unreleased and these are Django Reinhardt's "Nuages" and an original composition by Peterson as a tribute to his sister, "Daisy's Dream." Also an original tune is "Noreen's Nocturne," a piece that showcases Mr. Peterson's composing skills.

The trio gives a very impressive and delightful interplay with harmonic groove that makes all their performances stand out. Peterson's pianistic command is all what it takes to make this album one of the finest jazz recordings of all-time. My highlights include "Gypsy In My Soul," "Falling In Love With Love," "How About You," "Swinging On A Star" and "How High The Moon," one of the most famous jazz staples and a favorite among jazz artists and jazz enthusiasts as well.

Herb Ellis once told Gene Lees in an interview and I quote: "The Stratford album comes about as close as any to what we sounded like." That's true. You should listen to this CD on a midsummer night such as this and truly appreciate the artistry of the trio in some of their best performances.

Wholeheartedly recommended! August 8, 2007

You must have this....

This is the best recording of Oscar Petersons first great trio. Herb Ellis is on Guitar and Ray Brown bass. In the mold of the Nat King Cole trio this is a drummerless trio and all the better for it. The interplay between the musicians is simply amazing and if when you listen to a track like "52nd Street Theme" you don't appreciate whats going on then its obvious Jazz isn't your thing. There are breakneck unison lines played by Piano and Guitar and quite how Ray Brown kept the bass going at that tempo is simply unbelievable.

As the title indicates this is a live recording and so there is also a great atmosphere. You can you hear this most clearly on the brilliant "Love You Madly" where the crowd react to Petersons tumultuous playing and the fact that you can hear him growling away to himself, which at one point makes the crowd laugh!

This is a wonderful album, and certainly in my top ten Peterson albums.
July 10, 2007

Perfect night

Great trio, great tunes and exceptional performance. You could do without Peterson's grunting and footstomping, but, in a way, they add to the excitement. Ray's solo on How High the Moon should be, as O.P. once stated, capsuled and sent to the moon. July 24, 2006

Back to the basics.

I've just read the results of the 50th Annual Downbeat Critics' Poll and can scarce believe my eyes. Not only no mention of Oscar (let alone consummate contemporaries like Ahmad Jamal, Monty Alexander, and Dave Brubeck) but of his brightest proteges (Benny Green, Geof Keezer, David Hazeltine). Apparently the elitist members of the "church of what's happening now" who call themselves "critics" cannot distinguish between true originality and mere difference, between authentic invention and pretentious creativity.

Oscar is a true original, a pianist who has attained classic status through his mastery of the formidable--even overwhelming and frightening--heritage and language of his predecessors. "Creativity" can easily become a ruse--the self-deceptions of a sequestered new-age mentality rather than the re-inventions that are the hallmark of artistic genius. The genuinely creative artist requires no tricks or cover-ups--his gift is always on full display.

Oscar's genius is no more apparent than on the "At Stratford" and "At the Concertgebouw" albums. The former has a slight edge in audio fidelity and program variety, as Oscar's crescendoing power playing on slow tempos clearly comes through on "Blues for Big Scotia" and his more delicate sensibilities are in evidence on his own "Noreen's Nocturne." The latter album, on the other hand, is the more breathtaking, a pyrotechnical work-out on standards and bebop classics that amounts to an exhausting experience for any listener. Either album represents an awesome legacy, a reason to run for cover. Possession of both albums is not recommended for the faint of heart. July 18, 2002

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