On November 24, 1971, Oscar Peterson and his companions stopped in Switzerland, and Radio Zurich was there for posterity. For the first time, the recording of this concert appears in record stores; Peterson, 46, was then at the top of his game, and that evening in exceptional form. The trio he formed during this tour is particularly interesting because transitory: on drums, the brilliant Louis Hayes, who accompanied him regularly from 1965, while on double bass a rookie of 25 years, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, who will remain faithful to the Montrealer for 15 years. Hayes rolls the drums in the opening, the young Dane takes an early solo, then we hear the applause: the pianist comes on stage and takes control of this lightning interpretation of The Lamp Is Low – what he puts, Oscar! The technique, the precision, the swing, the notes squirt from his fingers! In the middle of the recital, he interprets alone Young and Foolish and A Time for Love in a way that is as expert as it is touching. A precious recording.
Click here for an excerpt.
To see in video