Oscar Peterson - Tenderly (2002)

Now that the great bassist Ray Brown has passed on, this live recording by the Oscar Peterson trio stands as tribute to him in his prime. Captured live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Brown's Jimmy Blanton inspired, rock-steady bass tones anchor the then 33-year-old, Montreal-born Peterson's Nat King Cole and Art Tatum-textured pianisms, and are graced by the lean lines of guitarist Herb Ellis in this pleasing straight-ahead date. The trio's takes on standards is solid, soulful, and swinging, from the silken syncopations of "Alone Together," and the finger-busting force of "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," to the cool counterpoint on "The Music Box Suite" and the big-city bebop of "Pogo." This CD shows off the group's three-way telepathy back in the day, and it highlights the pioneering bass player, who was so central to Oscar Peterson's long career.