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Various Artists: Oscar, with Love

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Various Artists: Oscar, with Love
To mark the ninetieth anniversary of the legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson's birth (August 15, 2015), Peterson's widow, Kelly Peterson, produced a tribute album for the ages: Oscar, with Love, a marvelous three-disc set comprising ten never-before-recorded Peterson compositions, nineteen of his better-known works and seven compositions written especially for him, performed by sixteen contemporary piano masters on Peterson's personal Boesendorfer Imperial piano at his private studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

Makoto Ozone has the honor of opening Disc 1 with a warm-hearted reading of Peterson's lovely ballad, "The Contessa." He is followed, in order, by a veritable who's who of noteworthy (no pun intended) keyboard artists: Robi Botos, Oliver Jones, Gerald Clayton, Benny Green, Michel Legrand, Renee Rosnes, Bill Charlap, Ramsey Lewis, Justin Kauflin, Kenny Barron, Monty Alexander, Hiromi, Chick Corea, co-producer Lance Anderson and Peterson's close friend, Chicagoan Audrey Morris. While most tracks showcase the solo piano, Peterson's longtime bassist, Dave Young, accompanies Jones ("Celine's Waltz," "Why Think About Tomorrow," "I Remember OP"), Alexander ("Tranquille," "The Gentle Waltz") and performs alone on "Goodbye Old Friend." Morris plays and sings on "Look What You've Done to Me," while Charlap and Rosnes appear separately on "Announcement" and "Love Ballade," respectively, and together on "Sushi."

The songs written for Peterson include Corea's earnest "One for Oscar" (composed especially for this album), and his bravura performance, which leads off Disc 3, is one of the set's myriad highlights. As for others, any song on which Barron, Jones, Legrand, Lewis, Charlap or Rosnes are in the driver's seat is almost by definition a highlight, and none of them is less than inspired, nor are Ozone, Alexander, Anderson, Botos, Clayton, Green, Hiromi, Kauflin or Morris. Jones, who like Peterson was born in Montreal, is closest to his fellow Canadian in spirit, and even though he was roughly eighty years old when the album was recorded, plays with the agility and vigor of someone many years his junior. Lewis, another newly minted octogenarian, shows no deference to Father Time on his opulent features, "If I Love Again" and "Laurentide Waltz," while the (now) eighty-four-year-old Legrand is sublime on "Dream of Me" and "Harcourt Nights." That's not to demean the (relatively) younger lions —Botos, Clayton, Hiromi and Kauflin —each of whom makes an auspicious impression. And for brio emblematic of Peterson himself, dig Ozone's busy fingers on "Dear Oscar" and "A Little Jazz Exercise."

This is an album on which every participant seems entirely aware that he or she is not merely playing another song but is offering his or her homage to one of the most renowned jazz pianists who ever lived. That fondness and appreciation are palpable from start to finish, which is one (of many) reasons why Oscar, with Love is an album to be applauded and treasured. Others include immaculate sound, splendid packaging, erudite and inclusive liner notes by Basie trumpeter Scotty Barnhart, and warm personal remembrances by Peterson's daughter, Celine. An exemplary tribute worthy of the name and the monarch to whom it is inscribed.

Track Listing

Disc 1 -- The Contessa; Blues for Smedley; Celine’s Waltz; Bossa Beguine; Cool Walk; Dream of Me; Sushi; If I Love Again; On Danish Shore; Ballad for Benny Carter; A Little Jazz Exercise; Tranquille; Take Me Home. Disc 2 -- Announcement; If You Only Knew; Love Ballade; The Gentle Waltz; Summertime; Laurentide Waltz; Morning; Harcourt Nights; Wheatland; Why Think About Tomorrow? Disc 3 -- One for Oscar; The Smudge; Sir Lancewell; Dear Oscar; I Remember OP; Oscar’s New Camera; OP’s Boogie; Trust; Emmanuel; Look What You’ve Done to Me; Goodbye Old Friend; Hymn to Freedom; When Summer Comes.

Personnel

Monty Alexander: piano; Lance Anderson: piano; Kenny Barron: piano; Robi Botos: piano; Bill Charlap: piano; Gerald Clayton: piano; Chick Corea: piano; Benny Green: piano; Hiromi: piano; Oliver Jones: piano; Justin Kauflin: piano; Michel Legrand: piano; Ramsey Lewis: piano; Audrey Morris: piano, vocal; Makoto Ozone: piano; Renee Rosnes: piano; Dave Young: bass.

Album information

Title: Oscar, with Love | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Two Lions Records

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