Oscar Peterson’s Lost 1960 Baker’s Keyboard Lounge Recordings Spotlight Ray Brown at His Peak
Ray Brown had many musical eras during his decades-long career, from a key figure in New York’s burgeoning bebop scene to a first-call session ace in Hollywood. However, his fifteen-year tenure with the Oscar Peterson Trio is often regarded as the period when he set the standard for jazz bass with his strong, swinging lines and bluesy, lyrical solos. Now, fans have a whole new set of music to study from those days.
Oscar Peterson: At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge: The Complete Recordings was captured during a two-week engagement at the famed Detroit club in 1960. Although Brown had been with the pianist since the early ’50s, this was just one year after drummer Ed Thigpen joined the fold, replacing guitarist Herb Ellis. Verve states it was a time when they were “ascending to new artistic peaks.”
“Intended at the time as a live album for Verve but never released, the music on At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge features remarkable, previously unissued performances, all taped on a single Friday night,” the record label states. “No matter the tempo, rhythm, or complexity of the arrangement, the three players breathe as one on these recordings, phrasing as if controlled by a single heartbeat.”
The evening’s set lists are packed with familiar standards like “Autumn Leaves,” “Satin Doll,” and “My Funny Valentine” as well as less common tunes like “Politics and Poker” and “Swamp Fire.”
Just a few of the bass highlights include Brown’s down-and-dirty blues walking on John Lewis’s introspective “Django” and his lyrical solo on “Chicago.”
A personal favorite is “The Touch of Your Lips,” on which the bassist punctuates the melody with perfect response lines before dropping into the driving groove that made him famous.
Oscar Peterson: At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge: The Complete Recordings is available now on CD and vinyl through Verve or digitally through Apple Music, Amazon Music, and other streaming platforms.
Oscar Peterson: At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge: The Complete Recordings Track List:
- Autumn Leaves
- Django
- Confirmation
- Whisper Not
- Billy Boy
- The Touch Of Your Lips
- Ill Wind
- Chicago
- I Love You
- Closing
- Dancing On The Ceiling
- Politics & Poker
- Where Do I Go From Here?
- I Didn’t Know What Time It Was
- Liza (All The Clouds’ll Roll Away)
- Yesterdays
- Softly As a Morning Sunrise
- S’Posin
- I Remember Clifford
- Let There Be Love
- Swamp Fire
- Closing Blues Announcement
- Satin Doll
- Woody N You
- My Funny Valentine
- Scrapple From The Apple
- Closing Announcement
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
