Artist: The Oscar Peterson Trio
Title Of Album: Night Train
Year Of Release: May 20, 1997
Orig Year: 1963
Label: Verve (USA
Genre: Jazz, Jazz Instrument, Piano
Quality: MP3 / Joint Stereo
Bitrate: VBR kbit/s / 44.1 Khz
Total Size: 80.0MB; Part 2: 58.3MB
WebSite: Oscar Peterson

Oscar Peterson Trio: Oscar Peterson (piano); Ray Brown (bass); Ed Thigpen (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California on December 16, 1962.

Master jazz pianist Oscar Peterson had his longest-running trio with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen, and NIGHT TRAIN may be their finest moment. The repertoire here is comprised mostly of standards, although the choices seem deliberate. In treatments of jazz chestnuts like "C-Jam Blues" and "Georgia On My Mind," the trio works inside these well-known songs, painting over familiar colors and re-working traditional melodies, while staying true to the spirit of each tune. The chemistry between Thigpen, Brown, and Peterson is unassailable. Peterson, in particular, is at the top of his game here, running the whole history of jazz through his dexterous, nimble fingers with an in-the-pocket ease not always apparent on his earlier recordings.

NIGHT TRAIN was produced by Norman Granz, who had already sold Verve Records to MGM, but continued to record his favorite artists, of whom Peterson was one. The production is superb, and translates especially well via remastering. The Verve re-issue features additional tracks, including alternate takes, rehearsals, full versions of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and "Volare," and an incomplete take of Charlie Parker's "Now's the Time." New packaging, expanded liner notes, and photographs make the 1997 CD version of NIGHT TRAIN a keeper.

TRACKLIST
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01. Happy Go Lucky Local (A.K.A. Night Train)
02. C Jam Blues
03. Georgia on My Mind
04. Bags' Groove
05. Moten Swing
06. Easy Does It
07. Honeydripper
08. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
09. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
10. Band Call
11. Hymn to Freedom
12. Happy Go Lucky Local (A.K.A. Night Train) [Alternate Take]
13. Volare
14. My Heart Belongs to Daddy
15. Moten Swing [Rehearsal Take]
16. Now's the Time
17. This Could Be the Start of Something