Original Master Record Sleeves (pack of 50)

$15.99

Review by Scott Yanow
The third of four Telarc CDs to be released from an Oscar Peterson reunion engagement at New York's Blue Note club matches together the great pianist with guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Bobby Durham. Although the veterans did not rehearse together beforehand, the repertoire is quite fresh, with five standards being balanced by five Peterson originals, including "Bach's Blues," "Wheatland," and "Blues Etude." The performance is as strong as one would expect, although the inclusion of Durham's drums makes the music less exciting and risky than the late-'50s trio recordings. It's worth picking up, as are the other Oscar Peterson Telarc releases from this now legendary engagement.
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$37.95

Tears of sorrow mingled with tears of joy as Oscar Peterson fans realized that the keyboard genius, who had just recovered his health, was still capable of amazing them all, although he had obviously forfeited some of his past vitality. This may well have induced MPS - the label with whom Oscar Peterson himself claimed to have made his best recordings - to search their archives for lost tapes from Peterson's heydey. A number of previously unreleased recordings were discovered, which had been taped "exclusively for my friends" in the private studio in Villingen, 1965-1968.
The electric atmosphere of these live sessions before a mere handful of listeners proves once again just how at home the musicians felt in the Black Forest villa - as is borne out by the fact that Peterson's usual trio formation alternated with his stand-in musicians of Sam Jones on the bass and Bobby Durham on the drums.
And now, exclusively for all jazz fans, these amazing tracks are available for the first time on an LP filled with glorious sound. Whether longtime collector or jazz newcomer, one thing is certain: This album belongs in every collection!
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$15.99

Review by Jeff Tamarkin
Very Tall, the initial 1961 summit that found pianist Oscar Peterson and vibist Milt Jackson combining forces (with Ray Brown on bass), is considered by many to be among the most artistically successful collaborations in the careers of both musicians. A long 37 years later, and despite Peterson's 1993 stroke, all three were still going strong when they hooked up as "the Very Tall Band" to play a series of dates at New York's prestigious Blue Note. Telarc previously released one set of recordings made at the shows, simply called Live at the Blue Note, but this sequel, What's Up?: The Very Tall Band, repeats none of the material from that album, and serves as proof that everything the trio produced on those dates with young drummer Karriem Riggins keeping pace was nothing less than sublime. Peterson and Jackson (who has since died, as has Brown) allow each other all the space required to stretch out, but the brightest sparks come from the spontaneous interactions. On the Dizzy Gillespie standard "Salt Peanuts," Jackson is particularly sparkling, and Peterson makes the most of Lester Young's simple, unhurried "Ad Lib Blues." But when the quartet is locked into a groove together, as on "Limehouse Blues" and "The More I See You," that's when the specialness of this rare occasion is made clear once again.
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