Verve
1958
At Newport Live
About This Album
Verve's Norman Granz took his microphones and equipment to the fourth annual Newport Jazz Festival in July of 1957 and recorded extensively there, catching several live sets by both established and up-and-coming jazz artists in wonderfully clear and uncluttered sonic fullness, including this Sunday evening set from the Oscar Peterson Trio (Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, and Ray Brown on bass) that concluded the festival. The Peterson group is in fine form, particularly on a bouncy, zippy, and absolutely joyous version of Thelonious Monk's "52nd Street Theme" and on "Joy Spring," a moving tribute to Clifford Brown, who had died the year before. Midway through the set Peterson called up trumpeter Roy Eldridge, alto and tenor saxophonist Sonny Stitt, and drummer Jo Jones to sit in and things muscle up considerably, with Eldridge shining on the classic old standard "Willow Weep for Me" and then trading lead lines with Stitt on the delightful "Roy's Son," which closes out the performance. The Newport session was originally released on LP in 1958, with this being its first appearance on CD, and while there isn't anything here that redefines the general assessment of Peterson's jazz legacy, the sound quality alone makes this a smart purchase since it combines the clarity of a studio performance with the energy and immediacy of a live set. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
Track List (try tracks 1,2,3,4,6 and 7)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.