The Oscar Peterson Trio Vancouver, 1958 45rpm 2LP

Last year I was given two 1958 Vancouver Jazz Festival appearances to audition and to confirm the titles supplied. What a thrill! The Oscar Peterson trio with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown, as you'll hear on Vancouver, 1958, was at the top of its game. Oscar's early U.S. appearances were in duo form with Brown, who died last July 2 [2002] at the age of 75. Texas-born Ellis had been a member of another trio-of-note, The Soft Winds, with John Frigo and Lou Carter - as a songwriting team they were responsible for "Detour Ahead" and "I Told Ya I Love Ya, Now Get Out." When Oscar replaced the group's original third member, Barney Kessel - Ellis, who O.P. had heard with the aforementioned threesome, was an immediate choice, seconded by Kessel himself (later he and Herb worked as a guitar duo). The expansion to the trio format was due in part to more than one club owner asking, after meeting Oscar and Ray, "Where's the rest of the band?" Ellis joined in 1958 and, by the time of these appearances in Western Canada, this was about as tight a trio as you'll find in jazz. Ellis left the trio in 1958, so these recordings, from August of that year, rank among the last by this classic trio. As was the case at the 1956 Stratford Festival, Ray is featured on "How High The Moon" and Herb is in the spotlight on his own "Patricia." Also included here are a pair of compositions by trumpet great Clifford Brown, "Joy Spring" and "Daahoud," two from the pens of other pianists, John Lewis' "The Golden Striker" is from his film score for the Raol Levy-Roger Vadim movie No Sun In Venice and "We'll be Together Again" by Frankie Laine's accompanist, Carl Fischer. Also included is a lesser known Richard Rodgers piece, "I Like to Recognize the Tune," from the 1939 show Too Many Girls, a show that also produced "I Didn't Know What Time It Was." As well there is Ellis' tribute, "Pogo" and the leader's extended piece "The Music Box Suite" (aka "Daisy's Dream").

- Len Dobbin (writing in 2002)

Oscar Peterson's trio with Ray Brown and Herb Ellis lasted from 1953 to 1959 and is well documented on records, but the appearance in 2003 of this previously unreleased 1958 concert at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver is welcome news to the pianist's fans. Buoyed by a receptive audience and always in the mood to play to the best of their abilities, the musicians outdo themselves throughout the set. Among the highlights are lengthy explorations of 'How High the Moon' (which is centered around Brown's tasty solo) and Peterson's 'The Music Box Suite,' cooking interpretations of a pair of the late Clifford Brown's best-known compositions ('Joy Spring' and 'Daahoud'), and a pair of little-known originals by Ellis (including a lovely solo ballad, 'Patricia,' and the blistering 'Pogo'). Add it all up and any fan of Oscar Peterson will want to add this to his or her collection.