Another fine Webster release on Verve that sees the tenor great once
again backed by the deluxe Oscar Peterson Trio. In keeping with the high
standard of their Soulville collaboration of two years prior, Webster
and the trio -- Peterson is joined by bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed
Thigpen -- use this 1959 date to conduct a clinic in ballad playing. And
while Soulville certainly ranks as one of the tenor saxophonist's best
discs, the Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson set gets even higher marks
for its almost transcendent marriage of after-hours elegance and
effortless mid-tempo swing -- none of Webster's boogie-woogie piano work
to break up the mood here. Besides reinvigorating such lithe strollers
as "Bye Bye Blackbird" (nice bass work by Brown here) and "This Can't Be
Love," Webster and company achieve classic status for their
interpretation of the Sinatra gem "In the Wee Small Hours of the
Morning." And to reassure Peterson fans worried about scant solo time
for their hero, the pianist lays down a healthy number of extended runs,
unobtrusively shadowing Webster's vaporous tone and supple phrasing
along the way. Not only a definite first-disc choice for Webster
newcomers, but one of the jazz legend's all-time great records. Stephen Cook
Tracklist :
1 The Touch Of Your Lips 6:10
Written-By – Noble
2 When Your Lover Has Gone 3:50
Written-By – Swan
3 Bye Bye Blackbird 6:35
Written-By – Dixon, Henderson
4 How Deep Is The Ocean (How High Is The Sky) 2:30
Written-By – Berlin
5 In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning 3:06
Written-By – Hilliard, Mann
6 Sunday 3:55
Written-By – Krueger, Conn, Styno, Miller
7 This Can't Be Love 9:45
Written-By – Rodgers/Hart
Credits :
Bass – Ray Brown
Drums – Ed Thigpen
Piano – Oscar Peterson
Tenor Saxophone – Ben Webster
