Oscar Pettiford and Attila Zoller: The Gentle Art of Love

I’m a sucker for jazz ballads on bass, so when Christopher Brydge shared this duo of Oscar Pettiford and Attila Zoller playing “The Gentle Art of Love,” I dropped everything to watch.

The video is part of some rare footage from a TV program called “Black and White Show no. 2” which aired on June 15th, 1959. Pettiford, who is known more for his uptempo bebop style, has such a big, warm tone that it sounds like he’s singing the song himself. Zoller in turn has a soft strum to accompany Pettiford before taking the lead on the bridge.

TV performances aren’t what they used to be.

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Leave a Reply to John M Shaughnessy II Cancel reply

  1. needs more double thump slapping and FX pedals :D

  2. That was over way too soon…

  3. i wish it was louder, had to put my computer speakers to my ears to hear it

  4. Martin Westmacott

    Short, but a wonderful video find !! Thankfully this tune can also be heard in longer quartet form (Hans Koller on sax & Jimmy Pratt, drums, added) on the classic LP recorded around the same time – ‘Oscar Pettiford – The Complete Vienna Sessions’ – surely one of the top 10 feelgood jazz LP’s ever……..