The Oscar Peterson Trio – Walking the Line (1971/2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/88,2kHz]

The Oscar Peterson Trio – Walking the Line (1971/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 41:29 minutes | 784 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © MPS

This fine Oscar Peterson date from 1970 features a trio rounded out by bassist George Mraz and drummer Ray Price. Peterson has always excelled in the trio format, and „Walking the Line“ is no exception.
As fans know, Peterson is a dazzling technician, turning out a blinding flurry of notes one minute (‘Just Friends’), then coming back the next with a ballad exquisite enough to break your heart (‘Once Upon a Summertime’). Fluent in blues, hard bop, swing, and post-bop, Peterson’s approach can range from dramatic to extremely delicate.

All these facets are on display on „Walking the Line“ (bolstered by the sensitive interplay of Price and Mraz), making this one of the best dates of Peterson’s late-’60s/early-’70s period. Remastered sound makes it that much more enjoyable…

Oscar Peterson’s series of recordings for Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer during the 1960s and early ’70s are one of many high points in his long career. With George “Jiri” Mraz on bass and Ray Price on drums, Peterson’s flashy romp through “I Love You” (complete with a humorous detour into the opera “Pagliacci”) and mid-tempo walk through “All of You” salute Cole Porter in style on Walking the Line. “Rock of Ages” isn’t the old hymn but a lively, gospel-inflected Peterson original that will easily get any congregation swinging and swaying to the music. His mastery of the ballad form is heard in his sensitive interpretation of “Once Upon a Summertime,” which showcases Mraz’s gorgeous tone, as Price sits out this one. –AllMusic Review by Ken Dryden

Tracklist:
01. The Oscar Peterson Trio – I Love You (05:11)
02. The Oscar Peterson Trio – Rock of Ages (05:28)
03. The Oscar Peterson Trio – Once Upon a Summertime (05:15)
04. The Oscar Peterson Trio – Just Friends (03:54)
05. The Oscar Peterson Trio – Teach Me Tonight (05:03)
06. The Oscar Peterson Trio – The Windmills of Your Mind (05:00)
07. The Oscar Peterson Trio – I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (06:33)
08. The Oscar Peterson Trio – All of You (05:01)

Personnel:
Oscar Peterson, piano
George Mraz, upright bass
Ray Price, drums

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