Action (Oscar Peterson album)

Action
Studio album by
Oscar Peterson
Released1968
RecordedMarch 1963,
April 1964
StudioHans Georg Brunner-Schwer Studio, Villingen, West Germany
GenreJazz
Length41:14
LabelMPS
Oscar Peterson chronology
Soul Español
(1967) 		Action
(1968) 		The Way I Really Play
(1968)
Easy Walker! Cover

Action is an album by Oscar Peterson, the first volume of his Exclusively for My Friends series.[1] Originally released by MPS Records, it was later released by Prestige Records as Easy Walker.[2]

Reception

An audiophile reviewer commented that the recording balance was inconsistent and that the bass sound on the first two tracks was "fat, tuneless woof as if the instrument were stuffed with a large, very fluffy bath towel".[3]

The AllMusic review by Ken Dryden awarded the album 4 stars writing "Action represents some of Peterson's earliest work for Brunner-Schwer; these sessions were recorded before an invited audience in the studio, with the pianist's working trio of Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen. The group seems extremely relaxed and inspired by the small group of loyal fans, with a brisk waltz treatment of "At Long Last Love" and an extended workout of fellow pianist Billy Taylor's ballad "Easy Walker" starting things off with a flourish. Their approach to "Tin Tin Deo" is remarkably subtle, while Peterson is at his most lyrical during a pair of Gershwin selections, "I've Got a Crush on You" and "A Foggy Day." The influence of Art Tatum is apparent with Peterson's darting runs in "Like Someone in Love.".[4]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz included the album in its suggested "Core Collection".[5]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[6]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[5]

Track listing

  1. "At Long Last Love" (Cole Porter) – 4:56 (Recorded April 24, 1964)
  2. "Easy Walker" (Billy Taylor) – 9:36 (Recorded April 24, 1964)
  3. "Tin Tin Deo" (Gil Fuller, Chano Pozo) – 5:34 (Recorded April 24, 1964)
  4. "I've Got a Crush on You" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 5:15 (Recorded March 27, 1963)
  5. "A Foggy Day" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 4:35 (Recorded March 27, 1963)
  6. "Like Someone in Love" (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 11:18 (Recorded March 27, 1963)

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Action at AllMusic
  2. ^ Lindsay, Bruce (September 18, 2015). "Oscar Peterson: Exclusively for My Friends". All About Jazz. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Norwitz, Leonard. "Oscar Peterson: Exclusively for My Friends". enjoythemusic.com. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Dryden, K. Allmusic Review accessed February 18, 2011
  5. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1153. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  6. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 161. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.