Limited 180gm vinyl repressing. What we have here is not a good quartet, but an excellent one. In fact, it is the result of a well rehearsed trio: Oscar Peterson's celebrated unit with guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown, plus the beautiful sound of Stan Getz's tenor sax. Peterson and Getz display their truly creative interplay on these sides. This album constitutes their only studio album in a quartet format. The absence of drums adds a magical atmosphere to the warm sound of Getz s saxophone on the ballads, while on the swing tunes, Peterson s skill with his left hand combined with Ellis rhythm guitar work leave no free space for a drummer. Pan Am Records.
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Stan Getz and Oscar Peterson were both consummate performers, comfortable at any tempo, when they met for this 1957 recording, and they're clearly enjoying one another's skills on ballads and uptempo tunes alike. The group is one of the finest editions of Peterson's trios, with bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis. It's virtually a machine for quiet swing, and the absence of a drummer lets Getz's silky sound come to the fore with all its details intact. For all his fame as a virtuosic pianist, Peterson is an underrated accompanist. He complements a soloist with deft fills and unobtrusive propulsion, and the backgrounds he supplies here are as subtle as his solos are extroverted. The program is a good mix of standards and Getz originals, including the joyous "Tour's End," while the extended ballad medley could define jazz lyricism. There's also a brief but infectious version of Ellis's "Detour Ahead," the guitarist's early and highly successful foray into songwriting. --Stuart Broomer
