Oscar Peterson

4 1/2 STARS ALL MUSIC GUIDE

This set presents the complete contests of the classic The Astaire Story (Mercury MGC 1001/4). Originally a four-LP deluxe box set, it was conceived by producer Norman Granz to showcase the singing talents of the great Fred Astaire in a jazz context, backed by an all-star small group conducted by pianist Oscar Peterson. The project spanned Astaire’s then 20-year long movie career presenting a selection of songs by composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Cole Porter, which he had premiered in his various films in the 1930s and 1940s. The set was conceived in the typical Granz jam session style, with plenty of instrumental solos, and on some tracks, Astaire was recorded tap dancing on a big wooden block.

PERSONNEL:

FRED ASTAIRE, vocals & tap dance
OSCAR PETERSON, piano & conductor
Plus:

CHARLIE SHAVERS, trumpet
FLIP PHILLIPS, tenor sax
BARNEY KESSEL, guitar
RAY BROWN, bass
ALVIN STOLLER, drums

Radio Recorders, Los Angeles, December 1952.

Original recordings supervised & produced
by Norman Granz.

INCLUDES 16-PAGE BOOKLET

CD1:
01 Isn’t This A Lovely Day
02 Puttin’ On The Ritz
03 I Used To Be Color Blind
04 The Continental
05 Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off
06 Change Partners
07 ‘S Wonderful
08 Lovely To Look At
09 They All Laughed
10 Cheek To Cheek
11 Steppin’ Out With My Baby
12 The Way You Look Tonight
13 I’ve Got My Eyes On You
14 Dancing In The Dark
15 The Carioca
16 Nice Work If You Can Get It
17 New Sun In The Sky
18 I Won’t Dance
19 (Ad Lib) Fast Dances [Instrumental]
20 Top Hat, White Tie And Tails
21 No Strings
22 I Concentrate On You
23 I’m Putting All My Eggs In One Basket

Total Time: 79:21

CD2:
01 A Fine Romance
02 Night And Day
03 Fascinating Rhythm
04 I Love Louisa
05 (Ad Lib) Slow Dances [Instrumental]
06 (Ad Lib) Medium Dances [Instrumental]
07 They Can’t Take That Away From Me
08 You’re Easy To Dance With
09 A Needle In A Haystack
10 So Near And Yet So Far Away
11 A Foggy Day
12 Oh, Lady Be Good
13 I’m Building Up To An Awful Letdown
14 Not My Girl
15 Jam Session For A Dancer [Instrumental]
16 The Astaire Blues [Instrumental]
17 The Second Astaire Blues [Instrumental]

Total Time: 76:28