Oscar Peterson Trio

Date of Concert: 25-04-1988

Oscar Peterson Trio: The Stuttgart Concert

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Catalogue Number: INAK6479-1DVD

UPC: 707787647977

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When Oscar Peterson was 14 years old, his piano teacher, Paul de Marky, left him with a statement which would govern his life: "Respect the instrument. Make it sound as if it loves you. Then it will love you." When Oscar Peterson caresses the keys, this love becomes tangible. He becomes one with the instrument, and his improvisations are characterised by vigour and elegance, his infinite fantasy and his overwhelming delight in sound and melodies. Playing is like speaking, Peterson once said: "You need a clear, distinct voice and a large vocabulary." Both this, as well as his virtuosity, made the Canadian one of the most significant, and popular, jazz musicians of all time. He was awarded seven Grammy Awards between 1975 and 1991; and of the other awards he received, the Glenn Gould Prize (1993) and the Praemium Imperiale from the Japan Art Association (1999) are the most eminent. The concert held at the ZDF JazzClub in Stuttgart was played by Oscar Peterson together with the drummer Kenny Drew and the double bass player Dave Young. Their collaboration had begun in 1974. For Drew, who was British, it lasted until 2004, while the Canadian Young was a regular member of Peterson's trio for 25 years. Jazz classics, including a medley with five compositions from Duke Ellington's repertoire, form the core of the concert. And among the four compositions by Peterson himself, there is one which is particularly enchanting, the wonderful "Love Ballade."