Oscar Peterson in Helsinki in 1987

courtesy of DL Media

Back in the pre-pandemic age of socializing, I would often find myself in conversation with other amateur pianists. Mostly we would talk about recitals and recordings in the classical genre, but every now and then we would shift over to jazz pianists. Usually the conversation would begin with Thelonious Monk; but, in the broader scope of history, the other name that would occur frequently would be Oscar Peterson.

This was not a surprising topic. Peterson’s own technique seems to have derived from his own pantheon of “keyboard giants” from the past. One of them was Johann Sebastian Bach, and another was Art Tatum. That should not surprise anyone. Both of them understood the “sweet spot” where both invention and technical dexterity cohabited; and Tatum appreciated the classical genre as much as Peterson did (although one of his own influences was his contemporary, Sergei Rachmaninoff).

Those reflections should serve as context when considering a new release from Mack Avenue Records at the end of last month: A Time for Love: The Oscar Peterson Quartet – Live in Helsinki, 1987. This is a two-CD album that documents the final concert of a fourteen-city tour that began in South America and concluded in Europe. The first CD consists of five Peterson originals. In the context of history, the most impressive of these is “A Salute to Bach.” Over the course of about twenty minutes, Peterson unfolds a three-movement homage, dealing more with that context of invention and dexterity than with appropriating any of Bach’s themes or motifs.

On the second CD that same extended duration is directed at a medley of six selections from Duke Ellington’s book, all of which may be regarded as classics in their own right. What is important, however, is that Ellington is not the only composer contributing to this medley. Peterson begins with Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the ‘A” Train” before advancing into three Ellington standards: “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “Come Sunday, and “C Jam Blues.” He then returns to Strayhorn with “Lush Life” before wrapping up with “Caravan,” which Ellington composed in partnership with his trombonist Juan Tizol.

On that CD the Ellington medley is preceded by compositions by Johnny Mandel (“A Time for Love”), Morgan Lewis (“How High the Moon”), Benny Goodman (“Soft Winds”), Bill Evans (“Waltz for Debby”), and Leigh Harline (“When You Wish Upon a Star”). After those six tracks, the CD concludes with one last Peterson original “Blues Etude.” It goes without saying that Peterson’s command of invention and dexterity unfolds just as imaginatively when he takes on other composers as when he is playing his own works.

The other members of the quartet are guitarist Joe Pass, Dave Young on bass, and drummer Marin Drew. Pass, of course, commands his own toolbox of invention and dexterity. One of the most impressive aspects of this Helsinki date as the frequency with which Peterson allows Pass to take the foreground. (“When You Wish Upon a Star” is given a solo performance by Pass, complementing Peterson’s solo take on “Waltz for Debby”). To some extent this amounts to a mutual admiration society. More often than not, the attentive listener is likely to feel as if (s)he is eavesdropping on a highly intimate conversation, in which sharing one’s fondest thoughts takes priority over any sense of one-upmanship.

Nevertheless, the resulting inventions are so prolific that one is likely to listen to all of the tracks several times, just to make sure that the act of listening can keep up with the act of playing.