Oscar Peterson Trio
West Side Story (Verve 539 753)

Oscar Peterson is one of those jazz cats whose albums are so consistently good that you end up relegating him to the "BOR-ing" category, which is really too bad. I mean, when you're at the record store trolling for something thrilling and new, you never really think "Oh, I know … Oscar Peterson!"

But sometimes you will be at home and realize that you are missing something, some cool type of mood that none of your music provides. There you go: Oscar Peterson.

Peterson's West Side Story has the trio (Peterson, piano; Ray Brown, bass; Ed Thigpen, drums) tearing into seven tunes from the musical, and while in some ways the album seems a pretty by-the-numbers affair, most of the cuts really swing and you'll find yourself returning to the album again and again.

I think it has to do with the indestructibility of Bernstein's melodies. Meaning, this is not even the best jazz interpretation of West Side Story and yet it is much more satisfying than most other albums. (For the record, I'd recommend Dave Brubeck's West Side Story and then Stan Kenton's, but any music collection could withstand seven versions of the music without being too heavy on West Side Story … seriously!)

Peterson avoids the obvious jazz tunes ("Cool" and "Krupke") and instead swings the prettier standards: "Something's Coming," "Somewhere," "Maria," "I Feel Pretty," "Tonight." Probably the most effective song on the album is "Jet Song," which manages to be mesmerizing and swinging at the same time.

The often referred-to genius of Ray Brown is in abundance here, with brilliant performances throughout, including some bowed bass on "Somewhere." (That cut also features some surprising Liberace-like runs from Oscar, giving the piece an almost Twin Peaks flavor.)

I say, we should not leave Oscar Peterson to the older folks. Workmanship is not always inferior to artistry. This trio finds real artistry within the workmanship of simply being great players. They may not have been challenging themselves (the liner notes even mention that they released three albums in 1962 other than this one) but play with such flair (and lack of showiness) that it's hard to deny the brilliance.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Wipempy Tearle