Oscar Peterson

The Oscar Peterson Trio featuring the pianist with Ray Brown on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums is considered among the top trio formations in jazz history. "Affinity", recorded in 1962, showcases the trio performing a wonderful selection of well-known standards, among them Peterson’s first recording of Bill Evans’ “Waltz for Debby”. “I find a kind of brightness and brittleness to the group’s work –that’s due almost entirely to the leader’s piano”, wrote Pete Welding in his Down Beat review of the LP.

“All the selections, no matter what the mood of the individual tunes, emerge with the same bouncy, exuberant quality.” Scott Yanow gave the album a rating of four-and-a-half stars in All Music Guide, stating that, “Although the pianist is virtually always the lead voice, Brown and Thigpen both make strong (if subtle) contributions to the music. Highlights include ‘Waltz for Debby’, Brown’s ‘Gravy Waltz’ and ‘Yours Is My Heart Alone’. An above-average release from the much-recorded Oscar Peterson.”

PERSONNEL:

OSCAR PETERSON, piano
RAY BROWN, bass
ED THIGPEN, drums

Chicago, September 25 (tracks A1-A3 & B2)
& September 26 (tracks A4, B1 & B3-B4), 1962.

SIDE A:

01 WALTZ FOR DEBBIE
02 TANGERINE
03 GRAVY WALTZ
04 THIS COULD BE THE START OF SOMETHING BIG

SIDE B:

01 BAUBLES, BANGLES AND BEADS
02 SIX AND FOUR
03 I’M A FOOL TO WANT YOU
04 YOURS IS MY HEART ALONE