Peterson Trio

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31017, 24 March 1966, Page 19

Peterson Trio

When the drummer Ed Thigpen left the Oscar Peterson trio about the middle of last year and Ray Brown, the bass player, left in November, they broke up, at the height of its glory, what had without doubt become the finest trio in modern jazz. The Canadian-born Peterson returned to his homeland for the inspiration of one of the trio’s last recordings. Canadians Suite (Limelight stereo LMY 220006, 39s 6d), Peterson's first outing on the new Philips jazz label. The high-falutin’ title ought not deter buyers, for the suite is in fact eight earthy jazz compositions, each capable of standing on its own merits. Peterson’s evolution over the years from a creative hack with stunning technical gifts to a brilliantly original stylist has been a fascinating process.

He still occasionally falls back on his own cliches in moments of stress, but by and large his performances here, which include ballads, blues and hard-driving pieces, are quirky, idiomatic and bristling with unexpected twists and turns.

Ray Brown’s bass playing is, of course, beyond reproach and Ed Thigpen’s drumming—particularly his dashing cymbal work—gives just the right quantity of momentum. LILTING ACCENT

Shirley Collins is an English folk-singer who made her debut some years ago on the H.M.V. companion L.Ps., “A Jug Of Punch” and “A Pinch Of Salt.” Her lilting Sussex accent and light, airy voice made her one of the most attractive performers on those discs. Folk Routes, New

Routes (Decca mono LKM 4652, 39s 6d), is her own L.P. on which she is accompanied by a superb guitarist named Davy Graham. Miss Collins has occasional pitch trouble, but that may be overlooked in a folk-singer. A more serious fault is that she sings all the songs on about the same level at about the same tempo and by about half-way through side two the listener is somewhat weary But taken a track or two at a time it is delightful. Graham, who ought to get an L.P. to himself, plays three solos, one a composition of his and the others by the jazzmen Thelonious Monk and Bobby Timmons. He plays them with verve that would put most jazz guitarists to shame. NOT THE GREATEST Richard “Groove” Holmes, bravely billed on the sleeve as the greatest jazz organist of our time, zips through nine bluesy numbers on Book Of The Blues, Vol 1 (Warner Brothers mono W81553 12in 39s 6d). The Hammond organ, mainly because of its robotic qualities, has been slow to win friends in jazz; but Holmes handles it with assurance and his nine performances simply bulge with swing. They do not, however, make him the world’s greatest jazz organist; they lack the passion of Jimmy Smith, the elegance of Shirley Scott. The arrangements by Onzy Matthews lean on the brass section and Holmes stays much of the time in the upper reaches of his instrument, so the record is rather top-heavy. In other respects, however, the band stays out of Holmes’s way and even gives him a judicious boost from time to time.