Rick Beato has a youtube entitled greatest solo of all time. I went for it and Beato pulls out this Oscar Peterson trio performance at Ronni Scotts 1974. Oscar burns a hole in the floor with the longest, beautifully tuned grand I have ever seen. From both a technical and musical standpoint, darn it if Beato isn't right! So, I pulled up the entire performance and watched it on the big system. The trio is Oscar, Neils Pederson (bass) and Joe Pass (guitar). Oscar is doubling as percussion. The entire performance is mind bending. I never realized how good Pederson and Pass were. I'd never heard them in a live performance. The Studio Records always seemed to me to be...contrived. Not forgetting about Oscar's playing, Pederson and Pass are both up there with the greats. Even if the music is not your cup of tea the technique of all three artists will amaze. There are more "I can't believe he just did that" moments in this video than I have ever seen and heard in one performance before. If you have not seen it please enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBJ1vU23X4A
Good eyes mspot. As far as I know I have never been in the presence of a Bosendorfer but darn, look how looong than piano is! The bass must be incredible. That piano probably goes down to A0? Great link mspot. I marked it. Like I mentioned above it looks like he liked it a lot. He screws around with the tempo all over the place adding a lot of emotion to his playing. You can't do that when you have a drummer controlling pace and Tempo. Oscar has become the drums. The piano is a percussive instrument after all :-)
Well, I’ll be darned! Goes to show. Peterson is known for preferring the Bosendorfer and it sure sounds like one; brilliant and very resonant. …..power of suggestion? Thanks for pointing that out, mspot.
Mijo, you mention the beautiful grand piano. Listen to the first note one hears on the above video. Even on my iPad one can hear that the piano is Oscar’s instrument of choice, the Bosendorfer.
To all, yup the look on them was incredulous and they know what's going on! I have no idea what Peterson is doing from a technical standpoint other than he can go unbelievably fast. He has trained himself to think that fast. He is choosing every note at best in chord form. He plays as fast as any drummer, well maybe not Gavin Harrison, but he is also selecting the notes and the rhythm. A drummer only has to choose from perhap 10 items to hit ( Not Chad Wackerman or Terry Bozio) a piano player has 108 keys. Not sure, I thick Oscar's piano goes down another octave. There is a magic in some humans. They can excel at certain tasks far beyond a normal one, Maybe average would be better than normal. Don't you wish you could drive an F1 car like Max, or play the piano like Oscar maybe cycle like Lance(w/o the drugs)? It's enough to give us average persons a complex! Or is it that us average folks excel at something else :-)
I just watched the clip on Beato's channel. Simply amazing. Oscar seems super human (especially what he's playing starting around 13:00 minutes). The looks between his sidemen are priceless. Enjoyed the whole thing very much.
I saw the Beato video too and I think he was right calling it the greatest solo he had ever heard. Beato is really good at breaking down what is happening and clearly understands musical theory as well as the musicianship itself. Such a great performance that Kessel and Pederson were both blown away by it as well.
@frogman , whoops, I did give the wrong link. Thanx for pointing that out. Not sure how I did that as I was watching the Ronnie Scott's performance. Computers. That's why that piano is so big, that extra 1/2 octave. Must add 5 feet the the piano! Wouldn't you like to give Joe Pass a Les Paul and see what happens?
@tablejockey, that atmosphere is pretty generic among jazz musicians. At Blakey and Bill Evans come to mind. They played in clubs. If you are going to practice you might as well get paid for it. I think the atmosphere adds to the recording and on a good system you can imagine being in the venue.
"The Good Life was taken from the same sessions as The Trio"
The LP jacket says it was recorded at the London House hotel in Chicago-May 1973. I'm guessing it's a "supper club" setting? You can hear the waiters running around, glasses/plates being shuffled about. Once you settle into the album, you want to signal a waiter over for a drink!
Great to see these greats get some love. Amazing musicians all. However, are we getting two different performances a little mixed up? Maybe I’m missing something? If so, apology and please clarify.
The 1974 trio performance at Ronnie Scott’s (Beato) does not include Joe Pass. It is Barney Kessel on guitar, (no drummer). The provided link in the OP is of a 1983 quartet performance in Tokyo. This time, Joe Pass, Martin Drew on drums, and once again one of Peterson’s very favorite bass players, Niels-Henning Pederson.
BTW, I agree, sometimes I like the drummer-less trio setting. Different and lighter vibe going without a drummer. Highlights just what amazing time players of this caliber have; which is the only way it works without a drummer.
Here is a link to the 1974 Ronnie Scott’s trio performance:
Mijo, you mention the beautiful grand piano. Listen to the first note one hears on the above video. Even on my iPad one can hear that the piano is Oscar’s instrument of choice, the Bosendorfer. Fantastic instrument with a distinctive sound and uniquely resonant and clean sounding left hand which extends roughly a half octave lower than most grands.
@tablejockey , The Good Life was taken from the same sessions as The Trio. I just ordered both of them and everything else recorded by that trio.
@bdp24, as a frustrated drummer myself, I hear you but Peterson is such a powerful piano payer He sets the pace and can drift for emotion and swing without interference from a drummer. So, without a drummer Oscar and the others are set free. From a technical perspective Oscar stands a good chance of being the best jazz pianist who ever lived but from a purely musical perspective I prefer Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock with honorable mentions to Chick Corea (RIP) and McCoy Tyner.
You probably know he is on the same level as Joe and other greats. But many don't know they have heard his playing in countless movie/tv soundtracks. A wrecking crew member before the "wrecking crew" First call player.
Beato is a good technical analyst. I always get a refresh course on music theory with Rick.
A VERY good sounding live LP is "The Good Life" Pablo 1973 Oscar Peterson Joe Pass Neils-Henning Orsted Pederesen
Smokin trio. One of those "you are there" recordings.
mijostyn, I have loved Oscar's playing for years and it was through listening to him that I discovered Joe Pass. After I write this, I will listen to the performance in your link. The way a guitarist plays, and what he plays are of course matters of personal taste, but as far as technical ability, Joe Pass is just far beyond any other guitarist in any genre that I have personally heard, including guys like Segovia, Bream and John Williams. His mind is fertile with brilliant ideas of improvisation, and they just flow out of him in a colorful stream. Oscar is of course always brilliant, and Pederson is a great bass player that I have on a number of discs. Thanks for the heads up!
I too watched that Beato video, just yesterday. Not just technically ridiculous, but musically delicious as well. Pass and Pederson provide tasty accompaniment, but I wish there were a drummer to provide punctuation and to deepen the swing the three create.
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