Oscar Peterson - The Way I Really Play - 180g Vinyl LP

Gatefold Sleeve

With Sam Jones and Bobby Durham, Peterson's new, solid three-piece line-up has emerged on the third MPS album in a row. “The best trio I've ever had,” said the Canadian and raved about the immediate feeling of togetherness. This Vol. 3 is appropriately titled The Way I Really Play. In the present recordings it is undoubtedly audible that Jones and Durham step back, serving as an ideal projection surface for Peterson's piano playing, but also emerge with solo moments. 

In the opener Waltzing Is Hip, the clever change between 3/4 and 4/4 time is captivating, as is the exuberant drum solo. Peterson shines with a veritable reinvention of Duke Ellington's Satin Doll, thoughtful and harmonically rich. With Sandy's Blues the protagonist emerges as an author and he dedicates this wonderfully decorated blues to his wife. Noreen's Nocturne was also written by him - far from being a nocturnal serenade, the trio heats up through an exuberant five minutes. With Alice In Wonderland, made famous by Miles Davis, Peterson demonstrates his swing art. And finally, Gershwin's Love Is Here To Stay has to be considered a dramaturgical masterpiece, which develops with a magnificent arc of suspense from free lyricism to gripping whimsy.