The GREATEST Pianist Ever Isn't Talked About In Jazz School
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
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Was this the case for any of you? During my time in school, Oscar almost felt weirdly "shunned" in a way. Almost like he was too cliche to be cool or something. I don't know, it drove me nuts because Oscar is literally the reason I play the piano. What was your experience in school?
I recently went on my arc of discovering Art Tatum and all of his works last year. It was the most transformative time for me since discovering Jordan Rudess. I can say I see the resemblance in the way they Art and Oscar are both viewed, being the GOATs.
ruclips.net/video/HjbB0Df43g8/видео.html
I can't wait to start a similar journey through Oscars music, having seen him on your channel multiple times now.
Charles, I would love to hear what you would recommend for me to jam to on my channel, it's made up of recommendations from everyone and then stuff I kike. That link is Arts rendition of You're Mine You, to give you an idea of what I'd do. I always loved the idea of shredding a synth over these types of songs especially to beef up the chops and learn new licks/ideas, so this is my way of doing it I guess. Having perfect pitch like they did also helps some.
A music teacher I really disliked is who introduced me to Oscar Peterson's C Jam Blues, and I was so impressed with what he was doing that I was a fan immediately. Best thing I ever learned from him.
I did not have the same experience. We did know the instructors' favourite music and musicians because he would really light up, but he was just as enthusiastic about all of them.
I got my bachelors in music from a liberal arts college with a music department that didn't put much emphasis on jazz. Art Tatum and Fats Waller were the only two pianists my music history professor really covered. I wasn't a piano major, so for those students the experience might have been different. This was all many years ago as well. It might all be different now. (I hope it is!)
I've just completed my first year studying piano and I love him! Now I'm transcribing C Jam Blues from Night Train because it's been stuck in my head since I first heard it
Why is nobody mentioning how fluidly Charles is transcribing those licks!? Sheesh 😅🔥🔥
Effortlessly
He didn't do it on the spot, movie magic, video editing, planning, etc.
Everything bad is cut from the video, like skate videos
@@selfactualizer2099yeah but still he then says “something like that” so it’s not completely prepared
Because im not here for charles... duh?
@@modernmusicofthedarkages296😅
Bruh, Oscar is the best. I don't get how you can say that he just plays random flashy licks, his lines are some of the most well constructed (purposeful note choice) I've heard.
Oscar Peterson and Sonny Stitt are my two favorite jazz artists of all time. That said, in terms of sheer skill, Tatum and Bird were better. It's just that I PREFER Peterson and Stitt, musically.
@@chestermarcol3831🤔👀🙄
The most spontaneous and free-spirited performance that I know is probably Nica's Dream by Oscar Peterson. There is a part where he has a false start to a lick and then repeats the start. It is reminiscent of record scratching before that was a thing.
It must be mentioned how brilliantly Oscar plays rhythmically through his melodic lines. His touch is both delicate and powerful at the same time bringing those lines to life with perfectly placed accents. His powerful swing is a great joy to me and inspires me as I play along on the drums.
Right, what you said is both true, very observant and completely provable. I’ve been playing jazz piano for 45 years. Whenever I slow down many of his solos the thing that catches my attention is that his notes are both powerful and lighting fast ALL at the same time!! But notice also that each note can be identified and is CRYSTAL CLEAR! In other words his dexterity, articulation and technique was such that he could play hard, fast and articulate each and every note at unbelievable speeds! His finger autonomy is unrivaled..
When I observe most every other jazz pianist playing fast, their notes sometimes blur together, meaning that there is some overlap occurring at blistering speeds and the fingers are kinda of holding on to the preceding notes before letting go.
To my knowledge he does this better than any other jazz pianist that has ever lived!
Peace’
Oscar was the best jazz pianist ever. I discovered him in college around 1970 and never quit listening to him. He still lives on today by his inspiration of today's pianist like Hiromi Uehara.
One of the things you can’t overlook in any conversation about OP’s musicality is his class as an accompanist. Go back and listen to those old Ella and Louis albums- I’d argue they wouldn’t be the timeless albums that they are without the incredible support of Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown.
What you said!!!
Yes. His accompaniment skills and ballad playing are even more impressive than his up-tempo playing.
which is really saying something
ruclips.net/video/ec-FrnaU0rs/видео.htmlsi=sYibztopvkYAd1xz
Yes yes yes this
This is unbelievable to me but now that I think of it, when I was in school, we never analyzed, transcribed, or really were taught about Peterson. It's odd to me, as he was the pianist that got me obsessed with jazz and eventually led me to study it. His work with Pedersen on bass and Joe Pass on guitar is incredible and that Count Basie duet is insane.
One of my favourite pieces is the recording of OP playing Tin Tin Deo with Ray Brown from 1964 and Ed Thigpen - the first time I heard it I had to repeat it several times. I still love it many, many years later.
Love this topic as it applies to every genre of music and every great player. Overtime all of us soloists build an arsenal of licks, and carry our bag of tricks. And we all find someone to criticize us for it. 😂
Nice to see that Barry Harris solo on Just the Way You Look to Night mentioned, it is one of my favourite solos ever
Night Train is one of my favourite jazz records, I have a copy on vinyl signed by the OP trio that my Great Grandad passed down to me. He played in Jazz clubs in London and met him when he played they played over here.
Bro I’m just amazed and I’m awe of how you took apart these legends solo!!!
One of my favorite Oscar solos is On Green Dolphin Street from the Very Tall album with Milt Jackson. You really hear his Nat Cole side rather than the Tatum - beautiful touch and use of space. An interesting comparison is Bill Evans from his trio version of On Green Dolphin street with Philly Joe Jones and Paul Chambers - a four minute solo almost entirely in locked hand chords - awesome invention worth transcribing for a horn section. They were both giants.
Listen to Oscar on slow tempo things and he can be heart-rending and exquisite. I'm thinking especially of his version of "I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good."
Huge OP fan…he remains the master.
Great video!
In many music genres, there´s a self-instituted "taste" authority. In jazz, they´re called "the jazz police" - a small circle of "influencers" that subjectively decide that certain playing-styles/sub-genres or artists are "finer" or cooler than others. Jazz police always value innovators higher than interpreters. A lot of people think they have to adopt and they really stop listening. Individual tastes will always factor in, but I believe, that the jazz police-influence is the real reason that Oscar Peterson was/is sometimes "left out" of the conversation. Fortunately, his talent and the pure awesomeness and beauty of his playing is simply too great to ignore, and he stands the test of time! As a pianist, Oscar Peterson was about much more than quick runs and technique. He played with a sonic beauty and his timing and touch was simply amazing.
Actually my favourite OP album is Porgy and Bess where he eschews the flashy licks and explores this incredible opera by my other favourite George Gershwin.
I learned of Oscar Peterson from a book called Ronny and Rosie. One of the characters was a pianist and a big fan of the man.
As an amateur musician that may never reach a pro level as these all greats are, I think Oscar was a league of his own, with his flawless classical technique, a solid fundamental to go further from others. Playing scales and connecting them through the cords, is what makes it so special.
It's hard for the mind to even process it when hearing it. And it looks like a connection to a direct channel for him, reminds me an SRV connection with guitar, always present, looking like he never thought what to play next.
So happy to see this. I was a Jazz Studies major in Uni back in the day and Oscar Peterson was my absolute favorite jazz pianist.
I think you're absolutely right. In school I always felt like every pianist who dabbled into free-wheeling developed structures they like the sound of and got good at. Just like you said, the mix of that and refreshing innovations can lead to great music, but practice makes perfect and no artist should be looked down upon for being like everyone else. In the case of OP, that's a real hot take, the guy will remain a legend at the keys!!
I’d argue that the true improvisation of Oscar’s playing is found in his placement of rhythmic accents. Both Geoffrey Keezer and Cyrus Chestnut often mention rhythmic accents as the crucial component of bebop language. Playing Oscar’s lines with an even tone at his tempos is nearly impossible, it’s amazing how many rhythmic accents he includes at lighting fast tempos. Oscar Peterson is incredible!
I’m a guitar player and I got to say I love your channel, subscribed 4min into this video. Very informative and inspiring as well :) Thanks for sharing!
Ironically, Oscar actually opened a jazz school. It was called the Advanced School of Contemporary Music. Oscar along with Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen and Phil Nimmons were faculty.
Great mini-lecture Charles, yes I’m sure you can hear those repeated patterns in many other pianists, such as Chick Corea, Herbie and even Keith Jarrett.
I love Oscar’ playing and he had his own style, that’s what all jazz pianists are aspiring too, anyhow!
Wynton was playin the exact same blues line in this i dig of you and i think green dolphin street
No one plays WAVE like O.P he starts out like the waves just gently breaking on the shore then he builds the tune with such excitement and before you know it you have a tsunami coming at you the man was incredible fast .
Maybe it's just because I'm a Canuck, but dad gave me Oscar CDs to practice against when learning drumming. He was a staple in our house, along with Brubeck.
Great lesson. Thx for the riffs and for analyzing Oscar. U play great.
Looking healthy Charles! Keep it up!
My father had his own Swing Band in the fifties. My dad struggled with solos. He knew Charlie Parker and he helped my dad to "improvise". Now whether he actually did this in his own playing or not I do not know but he told my dad to prepare segments of music he would memorize and play exact and then when improvising just come up with ways to transition between the sections that were already prepared. You are the first person I have heard mention this relative to improvisation and sort of matches what my dad told me. He was actually disillusioned by it because he thought it was all spontaneous.
Oscar undoubtedly has a clear set of licks that he would often repeat, quite reliably. To compare, I love Keith Jarrett’s music, and you rarely hear two phrases that are the same in any of his work. Red Garland is quite like Oscar in that you can expect particular patterns or phrases. But I think Oscar stands out because of his understanding of the blues and the swing.
Yeah, but Red was also super bluesy and he swung with the best of them. I agree with what you said about Jarrett - same goes for Bill Evans - they both IMO are closer to spontaneous composition with far less cliches that fill up the space. I feel that when it comes to musical influences that allow a player to absorb but grow on his own, players like Bud, Monk and Bill Evans are veritable fountainheads. Oscar, who came out of Tatum, or Errol Garner are kind of dead ends because you end up sounding like a cheap imitation - they are one-off virtuosos. Tatum, though, is on another level because, besides his astounding technique, he really broke new ground for jazz and was a forerunner to more of the harmonic language that was developed in modern jazz. Still, no doubt, Oscar is immensely enjoyable to listen to - but I can see where instructors would dig more deeply into studying some of the other players mentioned.
Oscar plays the blues, and blues is a style that leans heavily on cliches. If one doesn't like that, then I guess they don't like blues.
I was raised on the blues, so for me it isn't even a question.
You should review Jazz Emu's music, I find his large vocal range really satisfying to hear
Charles …..you’re spot on about OP, the uber-genius maestro. You are a superb musician yourself! As he said, after overcoming his distraught reaction to Art Tatum being only one pianist and not two, he said that that (and racial prejudice) made him decide “to scare people” with his playing! He succeeded. God’s greatest gift to jazz in helping create the form, the genre!! My opinion is he reached, stretched, challenged himself to the limit, gave to full capacity every ounce of swing, chord progressions, reharms, original compositions ….with great humility….words cannot really describe that you can feel, you know that music, jazz, was sacred to him. He plays as though it was his born duty to play and inspire with dazzling accuracy his ideas and uplift humanity whether consciously or not, he had to excite himself which in turn excited us devout listeners. I thank God for his musical wizardry. Anyone who thinks he’s jaded or repetitive, just put yourself in his big pants and see if you can swing for 5-7 minutes FLAWLESSLY solo or in trio/quartet. A leader amongst sheep. The G.O.A.T.!!
Even Mozart relied on his own templates. Either way, their playing is mesmerizing to me. I like that musicians have a distinct signature personality in their music. That happens because they develop over time what they think is beautiful to them, and naturally it takes years to develop that. Trying to be all things to all people is where people lose their own voice. They get lost in trying to sound like everyone but themselves asking, "what does everyone else think is beautiful?" instead of "what do I think is beautiful?". This is what separates a composer like Mozart from all those who copy his music and who never compose anything of their own. He composed his first piece at the age of 4. The goal wasn't academic accomplishment, but musical expression.
I like that Mozart sounds like Mozart and the Oscar sounds like Oscar, even if they both relied on learned templates. What they teach me at least is to have fun and not take everything too seriously. The academic accomplishment is not their motive, but simply the joy of the sound. And they developed and grew over time and added to their vocab. That's just a natural part of living life if you do it every day. Mozart's music became more refined over time even if he remained within the bounds of his signature vocabulary. All of it is beautiful.
As a result, they didn't spend their entire careers focused on other peoples careers or only on the history of other peoples music. They focused on their own careers and their own sound.
I see improv in music just as I see improv in painting:
No matter what you try to paint you still need a brush, a canvas and paint.
It's the same for music theory when improvising, you need core elements that will make the whole piece sensible
Bro's huge💪🏻 Also i love your style to analyze oscars playing🤩
Awesome content and breakdown Charles! Will you be doing an Art Tatum survey at some point?
I am a musician , but not a music major. However music is a lot about the heart and the soul. And having been around both professional musicians and music programs a lot I feel like there is a propensity to get caught up in the "music machine". To just accept what some PhD or conductor says without question - for no good reason.
In the end it really comes down to preferences as well as the various precieved "circles" that music people like to click in. Which to me says , well, not a lot.
If the musician is talented and plays with his / or her soul than that is what I look for. And if the music speaks to others , than that's the point.
Anything beyond that to me is just superfluous nonsense.
Keep jamming. Loved the vid and the perspective ( I agee 👍)
Love Oscar! I think I agree that I’d happily listen even if he did use too much preprogrammed stuff, but I don’t think he does.
EVERY SINGLE MUSICIAN has their own "pre-programmed" vocabulary when they play...its absloutely RIDICULOUS to attack Oscar on this... and what about Oscar's incredible use of chord substitutions? Listen to him play "It Never Entered My Mind" if you want to hear his incredible sense of HARMONY' never mind his solo lines...
Oscar is a genius - I was honoured to open for him 2x in Toronto
But I still prefer Tatum, Garner and most definitely Monk, Barry Harris and Bud Powell
Oscar is my favorite pianist and a huge inspiration.
Yes, he sometimes relied a little too heavily on his signature runs, but that's a minor complaint. He wasn't just about technique. Listen to his solo version of "Little Girl Blue" from the album "My Favorite Instrument." Just gorgeous.
Tatum was the greatest ever technically, but I prefer Peterson as he swings harder IMO.
Minimalists like Evans and Monk were great too. That's the awesome thing about music.
Soooo interesting. I enjoy Oscar but Garner is what I can't get enough of.
OP is the best! There is nothing uninteresting about his playing. Look at the face on his bassist NHOP. He's amazed.
My piano teacher in uni said this "who do you wanna learn about? There's Peterson and Petruciani but it's mixed. Some great some bad"
Lol ^
I said both and he replied with "it's probably better you focus on one of them". I switched teachers 😅 If it means anything I prefer petruciani marginally since his arrangements and language speak to me a hit more despite his "disability" (a word he even didnt like to use). The new teacher got me on to Keith Jarret and Fred Hersch amongst others ❤
Charles would you do an arrangement breakdown of Matador by the Buttertones? That would be wild
IMO Oscar Peterson falls under the realm of extreme virtuosity. I don’t think he re-invented the wheel in terms of jazz music as a whole but his impact on piano as an instrument is immense. Art Tatum and himself are like the Paganini and Vivaldi of the piano. It’s difficult to study musicians like that because what they were capable of is talent one is only born with. Not everyone’s brain is wired to work like a super computer at breakneck speed and technical accuracy 😂
I remember liking a lot (and listening to) Oscar Peterson roughly 12-13 years ago. I'm not a jazz pianist and only tried to learn and "fake" improvising jazz solos on my favorite jazz tunes, but I loved Peterson's (and his bands') energy and swing. I remember liking more tunes where he and Ray Brown had a lot of room for swinging hard. OP has the fantastic technique, which for me (sometimes) was overshadowed by the more sparse and energetic moments :D Albums like Canadiana Suite (Wheatland and Hogtown Blues especially!), his rendition of West Side Story, album with Milt Jackson - I guess I really loved tunes and albums, where bluesy and slower side of Oscar Peterson showed more often!
His rendition of Jet Song has so much swing in it. He’s massively underrated imo
@@romarsalis3350Yes! I absolutely adore this version, to me this is a perfect example of how much swing could be put in a slower tune with a lot of space!
I think definitely Oscar's chosen style and genre have affected his reputation, in that he was really a sort of modern swing player rather than a bebop player, and that has more to do with stylistic choices like not using the enclosures you mentioned for example and rythmic style. I think the "jazz establishment" is very bebop focused, and jazz teaching in general is bebop focused.
Teaching about Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson should be required when teaching about jazz, especially jazz piano. ❤💯
Music is a language and we all have a distinct way we speak. Oscar is a master and that’s that lol
Can you review the end of Revenge of the Sith, the overlapping theme in the end was great
If you are a musician, it may be difficult for you to listen without understanding, but try to enjoy the sum of the elements, and not the elements themselves
Apropos Jazz pianists: don't Miss the insane cover of the Chicken by Valeriy Stepanov. Jaco Pastorius would be honored and stunned about that incredible musicianship
Do a video based on Oppenheimer 🧡 Luv all ur vidss
It's like Buddy vs Gene. Both fantastic, but completely different styles.
Honestly thought this would be about Art Tatum.
Hell, I think this applies more so to Art than Oscar.
Even Keith Jarett showed some disdain against him, and it was for his lack of space.
Jazz academics shy away from Oscar Peterson for the same reason that rock critics never warmed to Led Zeppelin - the music is so overwhelmingly and convincingly physical that renders them redundant. When heads bob and shake, toes tap, and fingers snap, nothing more needs to said because it should be so obvious to everyone what is happening and why it's great. Your body knows. This music targets the middle and the base of your brain, where your involuntary muscle controls are located, and you don't have to think about it or verbalize it, you just FEEL it. Like great physical comedy, or dance. But of course, academics and critics tend to make their living by trying to offer critical insight into things that most other people may have overlooked, or by critically examining deeply held beliefs and tropes surrounding various musical traditions, all the while striving to verbalize things with an eloquent turn of phrase. You can't explain the genius of Charlie Chaplin's falls in an essay, you just laugh, and everyone gets the joke.
Yes, Peterson was a Jazz giant... But, to me he was a tour du force soloist, without needing the drummer and bassist. He used almost "all the oxygen in the room" with all his fills, embellishments, ornamentations etc. He's the natural evolution of the Art Tatum, Errol Gardner lineage. There's nothing NOT to like about OP, but he's not creating new music. He's restating existing standards in a masterful way. Bill Evans use 25% of the notes on the same song as OP. It's really apples and oranges - even though they're both Jazz virtuosos. It depends on my mood - If I want hi-energy Jazz - OP is tops, but if I'm in a contemplative mood, it's hard to resist Evans.
I never hear anything close to dissonance in OPs playing. I do in Evans.
You are spot on - It's the balance of riffs and true invention in a solo that makes it great to just going through it like an exercise.
No one can be 100% invention all the time... Coltrane was the closest, but you'll begin to recognize similar phrases in different recordings.
I appreciate that you tried to be totally inventive.
No one is perfect.... Amazing is close enough in my book!
After making my comment I scrolled down and read yours and see that we're saying similar things - you even brought in Errol Garner who I also see in a similar light as Oscar and Tatum. I think at his height Sonny Rollins brought improvisation to an almost compositional level, same for Bill Evans - this provides real material to study for nourishing ones own music. For me one of the least cliche-infested soloists was Wayne Shorter in his BlueNote recordings and with Miles and beyond.
The biggest criticism that I’ve heard (really, read) are that elements of his solos are “predictable.” Not quite sure what that means, as most of the greats had identifiable jazz vocabulary, and were in that sense “predictable.” I study privately with a jazz pianist, who went through the conservatory route, so I can’t comment on how my local conservatory treats him. My teacher, I think, is open and does not disparage him. There are some interviews online with Oscar at the piano, and one gets the sense that he had total command of the keyboard, not just in terms of technique, but in terms of being able to spontaneously deploy certain signature jazz styles at the drop of a hat and sound totally polished in the process.❤
If you listen to enough Barry Harris, you can almost say the same about his playing as well. It can almost be predictable because of how he crafts his solos. In this thread folks are stating how Bill Evans didn't repeat himself. Chuck Israels mentioned to me that in his trio, Bill would play his harmonizations in the same order 12:07 wach night which would sometimes lead to predictably. Also, check out the Complete Village Vanguard recordings which included the unreleased versions. Bill Evans definitely repeated himself. It's a great myth in the recorded history of jazz that certain players never repeated themselves. It was about what they wanted to release. That's why so many alternate takes were released post mortem.
Thank you for making this video. I absolutely adore OP!!! He is by far my favorite jazz pianist. Barry Harris was a very bitter old man. If you need proof watch some of his RUclips videos. He hated on all of the pianists that were not a part of the bebop era. He actually thought that Bill Evans was overrated…. Can you imagine?!?!?! I’m sure it stems from his deep seeded jealousy of Peterson and Evans success and his own lack of relevancy.
Great video, but the keyboard that we can see is mirrored to what your hands are doing.
This is a no no no no, Oscar is a fucking jazz god, not a prepackaged guy at all.
I find the third person camera really off-putting. It’s like I’m watching you present to the people the video is actually for.
The inclusive feel of your videos, despite often being quite difficult or niche content, has always been one of the most appealing things.
Oscar is definitely top dog!
Jealousy, jealousy jealousy jealousy Oscar Peterson was absolutely 100% amazing. I love his playing. Hey I have a different question for you. Where do you get your T-shirts?
I think you misspelled Art Tatum
Did I miss the Art Tatum video?
No disrespect to University Jazz piano professors, but I'll take Oscar's contemporaries opinions over theirs. And, other than Tatum, most agree that the Maharaja was at LEAST top 5 of all time.
Algorithmic punch!
I don’t believe there’s any insidious agenda against OP, the same with Phineas Newborn Jr. They speak to an older style of jazz. Modern playing begin with the Monk/Bud Powell School then morphed into Bill Evans, McCoy, Herbie ,Chick etc .. Modern players have Bud Powell has the primary influence on line development . Players like the legend OP have Art Tatum, Fats Waller, as their foundation.
Oscar is the greatest Jazz pianist of them all. It’s as simple as that. But admittedly he was a busy player. Music needs to breathe, often Oscar didn’t allow that.
Personally, Oscar Peterson is my favourite jazz pianist. Maybe they just couldn't admit that one of the greatest hails from Canada :D
Phineas Newborn, Jr.
Oscar was canadian so we actually talked about him alot (I'm Canadian, if you hadnt picked it up)
Oscar was astounding but those who know know he wanted to play like Art Tatum.
Oscar…..yup!!!
Great accessible analysis of Oscar Peterson’s genius.
He was second to the Greatest Art Tatum.
Whats everyones opinion on Michel Camilo?
Just can't agree sounds like he was so skilled that the ability too copy him is virtually impossible sounds like what the kids would say today there some hater-raid going on here OP was and probably is still the greatest jazz pianolist to ever live
i think miles said that oscar wasnt playing shit somewhere and that has had a huge effect.
Did you consider mirroring your video so your fingers align with the keyboard at the bottom of your video? It's bugging me :-)
Music school snobs don’t play Oscar’s style because they lack the chops. Much easier to play sparse like Monk. Also, Oscar never worked with the “cool” tenor players like Wayne Shorter or Joe Henderson
im pretty sure oscar's technique is so perfect and so above everything else that it's almost pointless to teach
Hello Charles, your method seems very good but what ? No left hand transcribed on your solos examples ? Impossible !!
If you want my take, I'm not educated enough to say something about this. As long as it sounds good and isn't the same in my mind he is a great pianist
He doesn't linger so intellectual jazz dummies can't keep up. You did great BTW!!! 😮😮😮😮😮😮
Part of it is taste, and that’s fine. Oscar was always old school; he never changed much and was around a long time, stylistically he just fell further and further behind the cutting edge.
Part of it is image; someone like Bill Evans is definitely “cooler” in the sense of being aloof, taking lots of drugs, etc.
And part of it is that it is a lot easier to see yourself playing like Bill Evans than it is to see yourself playing like Oscar, because to play like Oscar is all but impossible. I really haven’t heard anyone do it convincingly, while I have heard many people do a pretty good Bill Evans. Why would you want to try to imitate someone when you would only ever be a second-rate version? Not that jazz is about imitating others-to the contrary, everyone looks for their own “voice”-but the things that made Oscar Oscar, i.e. the sheer bloody dexterity and the ability to string ideas together so quickly, are almost impossible to match.
And yes, from time to time Oscar needed to coast for a few bars on some stock riff-and all the jazz purists yell “aha!”-but JESUS CHRIST MAN, he just strung together 60 bars of seamless licks at 200 frickin miles an hour and sweat is pouring off his face, is it ok with you if he takes a goddamned breather??! So many other guys are clearly thinking every bar; with Oscar half the fun is wondering where the hell the notes are coming from
very well said!
Jesus Molina sometimes does sort of the Oscar thing. I've seen/heard Domi do that too. I can picture the video, but I don't remember where to find it. The Molina one I was thinking of was a NAMM video, where people were expecting him to show off and be flashy - it was totally appropriate for the context, just like when Peterson did it. Someone else mentioned Hiromi, but I couldnt
...I couldn't remember a specific moment when I thought Hiromi was "doing the Oscar thing"... but that just speaks to my limited knowledge of her body of work, not to any limitation on her part.
Totally agree, especially regarding taste. It's like Wynton Marsalis - I'm not really a fan of big band (prefer '-tets'!) and Wynton has a particular idea of what jazz is so you could say he is not 'cutting edge', but there's no denying that he and his band members are all very good at their craft - but there is a 'formula' to their style and they do it very well.
@JohnSmith-oe5kxx BRAVO 👏🏻! Couldn’t have said it better myself. 😆THANK YOU. OSCAR ( my pianos name) is the greatest amongst the phenomenal other jazz musicians around. ( in my opinion’And slowly they are ‘going home’. My Godfather is/was RIP UNC) Senator Eugene Right)- l was an embryo when l first heard jazz & classical. Dave Brubeck with my DAD, was the first gig l went to. I was 3! And l remember so much of it. Sorry, l get carried away a bit sometimes! But THANK YOU SO for sharing your knowledge with people. Much appreciated! 👍🏽🎹✨
As a huge Oscar Peterson fan, I'm so glad you made this video.
As a huge anti-communist, BLM needs to stop using the communist fist. 👍
word
The fact Oscar always sings what he’s playing shows he doesn’t just care about sounding flashy.
All the best improvisors sing, so I completely agree with you.
Bebop requires toolbox phrases. Nobody invents anything at 300 bpm. Study any bebop great from Parker to Powell and you hear many similar phrases. I've always thought of Tatum and Peterson as my favs because their style is just mesmerising!
Nobody could improvise introductions like Bud Powell. Listen to multiple takes of a tune like Reets and I. His imagination was boundless. Oscar plays a lot of blues cliches, beautifully executed, but the two aren’t comparable.
Oscar Peterson was my first influence at the piano, in 1978. I was 12, and I didn't even know what Jazz was. I was studying classical music, Bach, Chopin, Liszt.... But when I heard the Oscar Peterson trio, I couldn't sleep for 3 days, amazed, mesmerized, trying to decipher that incredible music. And I still study him a lot. He's one of the greatest. Soon, I discovered other wonderful guys, like Bill Evans and his marvelous harmonies... Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, and many others. Oscar Peterson style is unique, and can be recognized instantly. He comes from another jazz genius, which is the great Art Tatum. 🎉🎉❤
Listening Bill Evans is like listening Debussy playing jazz
Wow, you have diverse tastes. I recognize that profile picture for commenting on dozens of Scriabin videos.
I was only part of a jazz program at university for a year, but we talked about Oscar all the time lol I’m absolutely baffled that he isn’t universally praised
He wasn't even mentioned in the Ken Burns film, if I'm not mistaken.
@@godisbollockshaha
@@-solidsnake- What's funny about that? When a film is 19 hours long, you expect it to be very thorough. And it was, but Oscar didn't get a mention.
He is!
@@paulrhodesquinn Miles slandered him quite extensively.
Highly recommend the anime opening "Cry Baby" by Official Hige Dandism. Man you'll LOVE breaking down the chord progressions!!
YES! Especially since he already did a video on the Spy x Family opening from the same band and loved the progressions
yes please!!!! as a pianist he'll love it
@ssjgoku8619 he'll get hooked in the first few seconds I just want him to enjoy it 😫
@CharlesCornellStudios pleasssse u won't regret it
I met OP a few times when I was in school. We were warned when he was coming and told to not say to him, "Mr Peterson, you're the greatest jazz pianist ever!" Those who didn't heed the warning would be corrected - Art Tatum is the greatest jazz pianist - and dismissed.
That’s also what I came here to say.
@marike1100 hard disagree on the "carbon copy" statement. Oscar had his own distinct style. Yes the runs are similar but you don't have to listen Art and Oscar that much to recognize the obvious differences.
OZCAR PETERSON IS GOD! 👊🏾✨
I was also about to say this. He always deferred to Art Tatum
@@belindadrake5487I mean, he's pretty good, I guess. If you're into that sort of thing, I mean, which of course I'M not... but I try to find value even in bad opinions, so I won't badmouth the guy too much...
We're still pretending to be extreme music school caricatures and stereotypes, right? I was just trying to match the energy of your absurdity.
The great Bill Evans was a truly creative improviser. Listen to the entire Portrait In Jazz trio album - I don't hear any repeated studied licks - its pure melodic, harmonic and rhythmic invention when he solos. In this he was truly the exception. Sure Oscar did use a lot of licks that came readily to his hands (like most jazz soloists) - its not taking anything away from him as far as being a great pianist. The thing I most appreciate about him is his arrangements. I wish Wynton Kelly or Sonny Clark had taken the same care when they were leading trios.
Oscar Peterson is perhaps my favorite Jazz Pianist. I feel happy when I hear him play, and often laugh out loud with delight at his genius, musicality, and virtuosity. I absolutely love the way he played. 😎