Oscar Peterson - Marian Mcpartland's Piano Jazz

Awesome disc

Really dug the program with Oscar. I am mesmerized, as most people are, by his incredible pianistic skills. I never saw him in person but hearing him talk about some of his techniques, etc. is really neat. I am grateful to Marion for all these interviews with the greats. March 17, 2008

Buy this CD and download interview

In spite of claims that this CD is a copy of Marian's NPR Piano Jazz interview, it is not as simple as that. This interview was recorded in 1978. The interview that NPR has kindly put up on its web site (under Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz), is a latter interview. The CD was recorded in 1978 (read the booklet), and the archived interview on NPR was recorded in 1997 (Oscar mentions in passing that it is 1997). Apart from that the tracks are completely different, in the later interview, Oscar discusses his loss of Joe Pass (this had not occurred in 1978), and there are several duo tracks along with two solos buy Marian. You can hear Oscar finding difficulty in pronouncing words, and he discusses his stroke in some detail. Neither of these topics are covered in the CD version.

In spite of what you might be thinking, I am *not* suggesting that you do not buy this CD. In fact I *highly* recommend it, but also go to www.npr.org/music and select Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz and use a good wave editor on your pc (does not matter what your O/S is, there will be a wave editor installed, or try downloading Audacity from SourceForge). *YOU NEED BOTH INTERVIEWS*!

Good luck, and please purchase this CD if you do not already own it, because it does give you a different view of Oscar. January 16, 2008

Words and Music (if only it were this easy)

Marian's session with Oscar probably belongs with the program she made with Bill Evans as among the most indispensable editions of "Piano Jazz." Oscar is as eloquent, fluent, and smooth verbally as he is pianistically--a striking contrast from the more modest and deliberative comments of Bill. There's no small amount of "exhibitionist" patter and banter to go along with the dazzling pianistics--and why not? If there's any musician for whom a pose of modesty would seem unbecoming, it's the prodigious Oscar.

One of the delightful moments occurs when Oscar does, in fact, hint at his competitive instincts and take-no-prisoners approach. He reveals that even with his best trios all three musicians would take the stage each night with the attitude of "I'm going to waste the other guy." And when Marian says some nice things about George Shearing's pianistic skills, Oscar comes back with a story about George being flummoxed by an Oscar Peterson performance. Even as he tells the story, Oscar's voice takes on the triumphant, gleeful tone of the reigning and unassailable king. He also reveals a little trick he does with playing "clashing" half-steps in the melody for a fuller sound (a page out of the Thelonius Monk technique book! and from one of Monk's most dismissive critics!).

About the music itself and its listeners, Oscar makes it clear that he takes nothing for granted. The music is both his hobby and his profession, and he works relentlessly at both, whether the listeners are a concert hall crowd or simply himself. He endorses Czerny as a woodshedding tool and surprisingly says that "Satin Doll" is still one of his favorite tunes (despite the abuse it suffers under the hands of numerous pianists). Then he demonstrates how he freshens the tune with "Auf Weidersehen" as a counter-melody (one of several musical highlights, along with sparkling if condensed performances of "Old Folks" and "Body and Soul").

What I wish Marian had asked him: Is it harder to find compatible bass players or drummers? Does he know that drummers are "terrorized" by him because of his relentlessly powerful pace and fast tempos, demanding percussion-athletes (with left ankles made of ball bearings and steel)? One of his drummers once told me that playing a set with him was simply a matter of hanging on for dear life. I wonder how Oscar in turn perceives his drummers. We know how he feels about Ray Brown. Who was his favorite drummer? Or did he prefer the early trios and numerous recording sessions when drums were excluded?

Finally, Oscar used to be a louder "screamer" than even Keith Jarrett. Was he consciously aware of doing it? Somewhere between the '50's and '70's he reduced, then eliminated the vocalizing, making his fingers sing without the vocal assists. How did he break the habit, and why? I guess questions like these are the reason Amazon sells books in addition to recordings. Still, it seems that an hour-long interview of Oscar Peterson with no mention of Art Tatum (or for that matter any pianist other than Shearing) could have used a slightly revised set of questions. February 18, 2006

Oscar talks and plays the piano like a machine gun!

Mind you, I'm not a fan of Oscar Peterson, especially when he plays live. Because he groans so much (or sings along) as he plays the instrument. It terribly destructs his own piano playing. And yet, Oscar's opening solo tune "Old Folks" really blew my mind the minute I heard it. The rest of the tunes were equally fabulous. Thank god, he remained quiet while playing, coutecy to his lady host. This CD reminds me of the Carnegie Hall concert where Winton Marsalis and Freddie Hubbard played together side by side. It was, in a way, a painful concert for both the audience and the musicians, because much older and experienced Freddie simply failed to match the immaculate technical ingenuity you hear in much younger Winton. It sounded that way between Oscar and Marian. She is, indeed, brave in that sense.
I enjoyed the conversation as much as music. As I heard Oscar played and talked, I could not help but notice a similarity between the way he talks and plays. I wondered what it would be like in French (He is from Montreal.).

Marian's Piano Jazz is so great beyond compare that I want to see a lot more of her interview CDs, such as with Dave Brubeck, reissued. December 7, 2002

Invite Marian & Oscar Over

For those of you that are NPR listeners you probably know that this is a copy of Ms. McPartland's interview with Oscar Peterson on her Piano Jazz show. Her interviews are a combination of conversation, as well solo and duet performances.

My first impression upon getting this CD was that the chatter would get in the way of the music. But what I found was that it's like having 2 friends over casually talking and performing for you. The conversation enriches the musical experience quite a bit even after the first listen. So, if you're relaxing with a glass of wine or maybe you have a long drive, why not have Marian and Oscar over? It's great to get to know these musicians as people through conversation, as well as get tips and stories. They are welcome at my place anytime. I like this better than the broadcast because the sound is better. You can really feel they are in your living room. More importantly there are no NPR breaks, so it's one continuos interview. It also seemed longer than one of her broadcasts, so maybe there is more here than what was originally aired.

Even if you tire of the chitchat the CD is worth it since it's the music that really shines here. Oscar's chops are as polished as ever, but he seems to be relaxed and just having a good time. Marian is her melodic, swinging, tasteful self. The highlights for me were A-Train done in ¾, the lively Place St Henri and the final duet where they give CottonTail a real workout. This is a great CD for those who want to hear a different side of Oscar as well as a great introduction to his work or Jazz piano in general. November 13, 2002

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