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Oscar Peterson: A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra
Smartly and very concisely arranged by Peterson, all the tunes on A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra are associated with the vocalist widely considered to be the best male interpreter of the American popular song. And like Sinatra, they all swing and show a deep love of rich melody and intelligent lyrics. On "Come Dance With Me" and "Witchcraft," for example, Peterson and his trio mates hold the famous melodies very tightly to their chests, allowing the listener to practically sing along as they play chorus after chorus. On "Just in Time" and "You Make Me Feel So Young," the master pianist demonstrates his exquisite timing.
Peterson's renditions, however, are generally a little too faithful to the originals. And like Sinatra's singing style, he takes no risks. It is only on "All of Me" and "How About You?" that Peterson begins to employ his considerable chops and improvise, but only for a very brief period. The solos end before they have barely begun.
A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra is an easy-listening jazz album perfect for candlelit dinners. Expertly remastered in 24-bit digital transfer, the sound quality is very good. While it's a highly listenable album, I only wish that Peterson, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen had chosen to push the envelope on these classic tunes with more improvisational embellishment.
Track Listing
You Make Me Feel So Young / Come Dance With Me / Learnin' the Blues / Witchcraft / The Tender Trap / Saturday Night / Just in Time / It Happened in Monterrey / I Get a Kick Out of You / All of Me / Birth of the Blues / How About You?
Personnel
Album information
Title: A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Verve Music Group
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oscar peterson
CD/LP/Track Review
Ollie Bivens
Verve Music Group
United States
A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra