Night Train

Peterson, The Oscar Trio

album cover

A Ride into Jazz Mythology

When the Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson tackled this set of familiar jam-session tunes in 1962, he was already being mentioned in the same breath as Art Tatum, and regarded as one of the most technically adept pianists ever to play jazz. He could be an overpowering dynamo, tearing through ultra-fast, almost jittery tempos as though he thought of bebop as a personal endurance test.

Peterson's relentlessly technical approach had its detractors—some jazz fans complained that his records were soulless technical exhibitions. Night Train is one persuasive counterargument, the moment when Peterson let a more reserved side of his genius emerge.

A relaxed, late-night-swinging session, it finds Peterson (1925–2007) less interested in dazzling than exploring the infinite nuances of jazz rhythm. When, for example, he digs into Duke Ellington's "C-Jam Blues," he starts out with a series of coy, Count Basie–like phrases in the middle of the keyboard, each isolated by several measures of open space. Then comes a stop-time passage, in which the rhythm section cuts out and Peterson is left to finish his thoughts alone. That prompts a fantasia of more intricate, dancing bebop, and then, when things get good and hot, a recurring riff in the style of a barn-burning big-band shout chorus. By this point Peterson is swinging so hard it hurts, and just about every phrase elicits a crisp rejoinder from drummer Ed Thigpen. One pleasure of this recording is hearing Peterson's intimate interaction with his accompanists.

The album brought Peterson his biggest fame to date—"Happy Go Lucky Local (aka Night Train)" was a substantial jukebox hit—and made him a jazz celebrity. He and his trio began playing concert halls rather than clubs, the drums were replaced by guitarist Herb Ellis, and shortly thereafter, the recordings got showy. That makes Night Train all the more precious, the rare glimpse of Peterson trying to move listeners with casual, devil-may-care swing rather than astound them with babbling virtuosity.

Genre: Jazz
Released: 1962, Verve
Key Tracks: "C-Jam Blues," "Band Call," "Bag's Groove."
Catalog Choice: At the Concertgebouw
Next Stop: Bud Powell: The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1
After That: Herbie Nichols: The Complete Blue Note Recordings
Book Pages: 595–596