Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Very Tall Band: Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Milt Jack...

317

The Very Tall Band: Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson: What's Up

The Very Tall Band: Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Milt Jackson: What's Up
What's Up is the addendum to Telarc's 1999 release of Live at the Blue Note, cataloging a holiday performance of elder statesmen pianist Oscar Peterson, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, and bassist Ray Brown with the support of relative youngster drummer Karriem Riggins. Recorded on Thanksgiving weekend, 1998 at New York City's Blue Note Club, these performances are fortuitous as the three principles have performed together from time to time for the past five decades, building impressive discographies together and separately. Additionally, as these performances were recorded, the sun was setting on the trio, two of whom have since passed away (Milt Jackson in 1999 and Ray Brown in 2002), and the third, Oscar Peterson, is in failing health at eighty-one. While giants still walk among us, they are diminished, diminishing, and not being replaced by comparable talent.

So what should the listener expect from Live at the Blue Note and What's Up? The more appropriate question is what should the listener not expect? One thing is that neither set is of the performance level captured by Norman Granz's Pablo label during the 1970s Monteux Jazz Festivals. Those performances were incendiary, densely packed improvisatory ordinances so explosive the listener could smell the cordite.

What we have on Live at the Blue Note and What's Up are these masters reuniting to have a bit of fun together, as well as entertain for a receptive audience. In their forties and fifties these septuagenarians were at the top of their game. The present performances are more like a late high school reunion; say the fortieth or fiftieth, where the principles know one another so well they can musically spin a bit of magic on short notice, albeit at a slower pace with attenuated virtuosity. With this level of talent, a loss of technical ability may simply be thought of as a distillation of a lifetime of putting one note after another. Where Peterson, Jackson, and Brown may have displayed a hungry and driven brilliance in their youth, now that genius manifests itself as a comfortable leisurely sort, the unhurried expression of well-lived musical (and otherwise) lives.

Peterson and Jackson prove their inerrant command of the blues on "Ad Lib Blues and "Limehouse Blues. Their ballad supremacy is readily apparent on "If I Should Lose You" and "The More I See You." Ray Brown's ethereal role as the perfect timekeeper is illustrated throughout. Riggins should not be shortchanged in this discussion. His support is tasteful and respectful, much like that of an alter boy serving three archbishops at High Mass. The ritual, the performance contained herein, is important because it is no more. It reminds us of the terrific loss of these artists and offers us the opportunity to be grateful to have had such talent among us.

Track Listing

Squatty Roo; Salt Peanuts; Ad Lib Blues; If I Should Lose You; Limehouse Blues; Soft Winds; The More I See You.

Personnel

Oscar Peterson: piano; Ray Brown: bass; Milt Jackson: vibes; Karriem Riggins: drums.

Album information

Title: What's Up | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Telarc Records

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.