Record of the Day: Oscar Peterson Trio, “Live from Chicago”

Oscar Peterson Trio
“Live from Chicago” (Cd Verve 539063-2)

If you belong to the ever-growing group of people who stay in the city in August and enjoy a well-deserved holiday in September, here is the perfect soundtrack to get you on your travels.
Pianist Oscar Peterson’s extensive discography includes so many quality albums that it can be difficult to choose individual titles, but Live from Chicago is one of the best purchases you can make. Beautifully remastered by Verve with the addition of five bonus tracks that bring the disc past the 76-minute mark, the work finds this formidable trio grappling with an evening in which each of them gave their best.

If you know jazz, you know all about the exceptional technical and musical talent of Peterson, a true colossus of the piano capable of scaling the most inaccessible virtuosic peaks but also of being a sensitive accompanist who knows how to humbly and intelligently put himself at the service of his colleagues.
The trio’s partnership with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen has provided countless occasions for jazz fans to rejoice over the course of their long career, and this live recording is a special one, with the ease and skill with which the three perform a host of iconic standards, from “Whisper Not” to “Woody ‘N’ You,” “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” to “Sometimes I’m Happy” and “Billy Boy.”

It is not easy to keep up with the energy of Peterson’s piano playing, which is sometimes so evident that it risks overwhelming the others, but Browne Thigpen know their stuff and do not let themselves be intimidated, indeed they seem to enjoy encouraging Peterson to give even more by stimulating him in continuous variations and piano forays that leave you amazed by their beauty and improvisational ability. Excitement and pure fun in playing are the main characteristics of this concert, which the excellent recording faithfully reports, transporting us directly to the hall of the London House in Chicago.

The audience’s enthusiasm in front of such a sonic wonder is tangible and invites the musicians to push even harder on the accelerator pedal, concluding the concert with an exceptional version of “Daahoud”, composed by Clifford Brown, to whom the musicians pay homage in the best possible way.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical subjects.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: Un disco per ogni giorno dell’anno” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.