Oscar Peterson / Joe Pass – Oscar Peterson Et Joe Pass À Salle Pleyel

Oscar Peterson / Joe Pass – Oscar Peterson Et Joe Pass À Salle Pleyel

Oscar Peterson Et Joe Pass À Salle Pleyel captures two giants of jazz in concert at Salle Pleyel in Paris on 17 March 1975. Released the same year on Pablo Records, the live 2LP was produced by Norman Granz and brings together the extraordinary piano playing of Oscar Peterson with the virtuosic guitar work of Joe Pass.

What makes the album particularly fascinating is its unusual concert structure. Peterson takes the opening section largely solo at the piano, moving through standards including “I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues”, “Mirage”, “Tenderly” and “(Back Home Again In) Indiana”. His extended “Ellingtonia” medley is a particular highlight, weaving together five Duke Ellington compositions including “Take The ‘A’ Train”, “In A Sentimental Mood” and “Satin Doll”.

Joe Pass then takes centre stage, demonstrating why he was regarded as one of the great solo jazz guitarists of his generation. His selections include “The Summer Knows”, “Everything I Love”, “It's All Right With Me”, “Stella By Starlight” and “Just You, Just Me”, allowing his remarkably full and orchestral guitar style to stand completely on its own.

The final portion brings Peterson and Pass together, and this is where the album's chemistry becomes especially compelling. “If”, “Honeysuckle Rose”, “Blues For Bise” and the closing “Pleyel Bis” showcase the extraordinary conversational quality between Peterson's piano and Pass's guitar. AllMusic particularly highlights “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Blues For Bise” as standout examples of the duo's interaction.

The album also demonstrates the extraordinary breadth of the jazz standard repertoire. From Duke Ellington and Fats Waller to Victor Young, Cole Porter and contemporary composers such as David Gates, Peterson and Pass bring an effortless combination of swing, bebop, blues and ballad playing to familiar compositions.

Released as Pablo 2625-705, the album reached No. 25 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart in 1975. It is an important document of the Pablo era, when producer Norman Granz reunited some of the greatest jazz musicians of the previous generations for intimate, high-quality recordings and live performances.

For collectors of Oscar Peterson vinyl, Joe Pass, Pablo Records, piano jazz and jazz guitar, Oscar Peterson Et Joe Pass À Salle Pleyel is an essential live recording. The combination of Peterson's breathtaking technique, Pass's extraordinary solo guitar and their eventual collaboration makes this a superb example of two masters demonstrating exactly why they remain among the most admired musicians in jazz history.

Tracklist

Side A

1. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues
2. Mirage
3. Tenderly
4. (Back Home Again In) Indiana
5. It Never Entered My Mind

Side B

1. Ellingtonia: Take The "A" Train / In A Sentimental Mood / Satin Doll / Lady Of The Lavender Mist / Things Ain't What They Used To Be
2. Sweet Georgia Brown
3. Darn That Dream
4. Medley: The Summer Knows (Theme From "Summer Of '42") / What Are You Doing For The Rest Of Your Life?

Side C

1. Everything I Love
2. It's All Right With Me
3. Stella By Starlight
4. Just You, Just Me

Side D

1. If
2. Honeysuckle Rose
3. Blues For Bise
4. Pleyel Bis