Norman Granz Jazz In Montreux Presents Oscar Peterson Trio '77

The musical performance is wonderful, Mr. Peterson manages his perspiration very well, as TV lights do not help a large man, exerting himself, to stay cool. HOWEVER, the list of tunes is NOT accurate. The Ellington Medley is as follows: A-Train, In a Sentimental Mood, a fragment of Don't Get Around Much, (which the audience applauds, clearly THEY know these tunes, even if the producers do not,) In a Mellotone, which is unbilled, a fragment of Lady of the Lavender Mist, THEN Satin Doll, and lastly Caravan. Another reviewer mentioned the appearance of two bassists as a bonus feature. I was unable to find this footage on my DVD. Lastly, the fast blues at the end of the concert is only partial elements of the so-called "Blues Etude" mainly the left hand line near the end. The definitive performance of this piece can be found on the Pablo CD "The Trio" live at the old London House in Chicago, with Niels Pederson and Joe Pass. So, five stars for content, one star for accuracy in the media, literally.88melter

Let me explain:Oscar Peterson's performance = 10Niels Pedersen's performance = 10Ray Brown's performance = 10So why only 3 stars and what the cause of the frustration?Answer: The camera never focused the keyboard from above and only sometimes captured Oscar's hands, that is, it did not capture the best of the show.Therefore, if you are interested only on the bassists performances this DVD is fine, but if you would like to view what Oscar Peterson does on the piano, this DVD is almost equivalent to listening the vynil album I have since many years ago.Regrettable, my friends. The producers lost the opportunity to register Oscar Peterson (The Franz Liszt of the Jazz) at his best, something they can not correct. It is sad but it is impossible. If you had made a DVD of Franz Liszt would you only capture his face and not his hands?After all, what is the purpose of a DVD?If you will not capture Oscar's hands in action, make a good CD and attach some pictures!It is difficult for me to rate anything of Oscar Peterson with less than 5 stars, but I should give -5 stars to the responsible for the takes.Buy anyway because it is cheap. But if you want to view Oscar's unbeatable technique in action the 1975 DVD is the right place.

Here in this DVD you can appreciate Oscar Peterson at his prime. The performance is just brillant and inspiring as always--jazz virtuoso piano as good as it gets indeed.The camera captured his finger works at amazing pace and grace form different angles. The picture quality is not as sharp as Trio '77 DVD but you soon forget about it once the music starts. Both Trio '77 and Solo '75 are supreme performance but in solo'75 you really can see how good his left hand is compared to most other jazz pianists. By the way,the CD "Solo: Live" is another must have for all O.P fans as Oscar Peterson really plays when doing the one man show. This is also the only video footage I have seen so far including the Blues Etude--one of his early composition( in the last segment of the show but did not mentioned in the song title).I am still waiting for the release of Oscar Peterson In Tokyo(1983)previously released by Pioneer Laser Disc. That will be the show to watch--with Joe Pass,Niels Pedersen and Martin Drew.But berfore that, get both 1975 and 1977 show.

I guarantee you an unique experience.With the greatest jazz piano virtuose I know.If you are a pianist, this video is a must. Something similar to Georgy Cziffra on classical music. Or Sviatoslav Richter if you prefer.As mentioned on his official site:"Oscar came to study with an accomplished classical pianist, Hungarian Paul de Marky, who taught Oscar "technique and speedy fingers". He also helped Oscar come to believe that he had something special to give to the music world."Therefore, Franz Liszt is on the "pianistic" genealogical tree of Peterson because Peterson studied with de Marky that studied (in Budapest) with Stephan Thoman that was a pupil of Liszt.That makes sense!If you know a computer language this DVD can be described as below:(1) Impressive, sensationalGoto (1)I have no words to describe his SOLO performance.Phenomenal!PS: Although the "picture" quality of the 77 DVD is a bit better, I prefer this DVD because it captured better Oscar's hands. In the 77 DVD many times you see only the Oscar's face and it is difficult to see Oscar's hands. Besides you do not clearly see the keyboard.

In a nutshell, this DVD delivers. Oscar Peterson pulls out all his trademark moves at the piano, from giant stride playing to incredible, twinkling runs. Peterson fans won't be disappointed (except, perhaps, by the clothing fashions of the time).Those who enjoy the hard, fast, fiery playing of Peterson will almost definitely love the bass of Niels Pedersen. He lays down technically awesome, beautifully melodic solos with ease. Ray Brown, Peterson's long-standing bass player, is more "old-school" (1940s or 50s) and sounds subdued when compared to Pederson, but make no mistake that Brown plays great, thought-provoking lines, not to be missed.After Peterson plays a few solo selections from his tour, the rest of the DVD, including encore, is with Pederson and Brown. Both bass players play and take solos on every tune, each getting roughly half the time. It's abundantly obvious that all three players are having a fantastic time playing in this pretty unusual ensemble.The DVD includes a short special feature where Pederson, much older, recounts an amusing anecdote about the '77 set.

Was loving it and then it stopped working. Froze my player on any track after #6. Hope I just got a bad disc. Going to try again.

音ズレが気になります。せっかくの素晴らしい演奏が台無しです。今の技術で音ズレは修復可能なので作り手側の配慮の無さが残念です。

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素晴らしい。次から次から奏でられる曲、ピアノから発する音は途切れなく聴く者をスィングさせます。飽きません。一挙にラストソングです。