| | Oscar Peterson Exclusively For My Friends CD Oscar Peterson Discography of CDs
 (3 Customer Reviews)
EXCLUSIVELY FOR MY FRIENDS contains the 6 LPs Oscar Peterson recorded for the German label MPS (Musik Produktion Schwarzwald). Three of the discs are trio recordings and one is of solo piano. The set includes a 32-page booklet with historic black and white photographs and a discography with pictures of the original album covers.
Oscar Peterson has stated that he feels his MPS recordings are his finest. That is quite a statement considering the huge amount of records that the pianist has produced through the past 50 years. This four-CD set reissues the music from six of his MPS LPs: Action, Girl Talk, The Way I Really Play, My Favorite Instrument, Mellow Mood, and Travelin' On. While some of the performances feature the 1963 trio he had with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen, most of the music dates from 1967-1968 and matches Peterson with bassist Sam Jones and either Louis Hayes or Bobby Durham on drums. A special treat is Peterson's first unaccompanied solo album, which fills up the final CD. Peterson's many fans know what to expect in this set, while other listeners need to discover him to realize what all of the fuss was about. Quite simply, Oscar Peterson has long been one of the greatest pianists the world has ever known; this reissue offers plenty of proof. ~ Scott Yanow
Recorded in George Brunner-Schwer's private studio in Villingen, Germany between 1963 and 1968. Includes liner notes by Sigfried Schmidt-Joos and Baldur Bockhoff.
Personnel: Oscar Peterson (piano); Ed Thigpen, Louis Hayes, Bobby Durham (drums).
Liner Note Author: Baldur Bockhoff.
Recording information: Villingen, Germany (??/1963-04/1968).
Personnel: Oscar Peterson (piano); Ray Brown, Sam Jones (bass); Ed Thigpen, Bobby Durham, Louis Hayes (drums).
4 CD's Set
Down Beat (3/93, p.43) - 5 Stars - Excellent - "...Peterson responded to the setting, hospitality, and intimacy with what he would later describe as the best recordings he had ever made...[he] controls his vast technique at all times...simply brilliant..."
Musician (3/93, p.94) - "...the daunting improvs on standard melodies are downright robust...the master's Tatumesque rococoisms are offset by some Bud-like oomph, and thi set is all the more persuasive because of it..." Exclusively For My Friends Music Exclusively For My Friends Music Review Average Rating: (5 out of 5 stars)  4000000 STARS for OSCAR
Wonderful!!!! Fantastic box set!!!! Ray Brown,Sam Jones,Ed Thigpen,Louis Hayes,Bobby Durham!!!! OSCAR!!!!
Submitted by najponk (Prague)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 25 of 26 found this helpful. Best Peterson, Period!!
When Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer decided to record and produce Oscar Peterson on several albums in the 1960s, Peterson was given free reign to play the way he wanted to play. Brunner-Schwer managed
to record what are arguably Peterson's finest recordings.
Peterson plays a hybrid of swing, bop, and rag on these exquisite recordings. Combining Art Tatumish ornamentations, block chord improvisations, and orchestral highs and lows, Peterson managed to be subtle and showy without ever compromising his musicianship or insulting the intelligence of listeners.
There are almost too many highlights to mention in these recordings. Yet a few stand out. Peterson glistens and swings on Gershwin & Gershwin's "SUMMERTIME". His brooding and lengthy interpretation of McHugh & Fields' "I'M IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE" is without comparison and is perhaps the definitive Jazz piano interpretation. He displays his perfection at dynamics with the Benny Carter chestnut "WHEN LIGHTS ARE LOW" which begins with solo piano, merges into a trio playing a soft-shoe tempo, then builds to a blues-drenched crescendo. This compilation features a diverse array of standards as well as Peterson's own compositions "SANDY'S BLUES" and "NOREEN'S NOCTURNE". Disc Four grants the listener the treat of Peterson playing solo piano.
No serious Peterson fan can afford to not own his recordings from this period. No serious Jazz fan will find a more coherent and listenable compilation.
L. J. Allen
Submitted by MathisNowAlways (Atlanta, GA, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 2 of 2 found this helpful. Jazz At Its Best
This set was recorded by Hans Georg Bruner Schwer, the original owner of Polydor records.
It represents the jazz that Peterson liked to play, as distinct from the material which was often produced for the commercial market. It was performed in Schwer's house in the Black Forest, in front of a select, invited audience in a convivial atmosphere.
The recordings, from the Sixties, are of remarkable quality and the obvious enjoyment of the Trio shines through. The style ranges from the introspective solo Peterson ("stopping to look at the flowers") to the driving, big-band sound of the Trio in full flow.
This set probably represents Peterson at his best. An absolute must for anyone who loves lyrical, melodic jazz.
Submitted by a reviewer (Lancashire, England)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No 1 of 1 found this helpful. | Have you heard this album? |  |
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