Track Listing

1. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
2. What Child Is This?
3. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
4. White Christmas
5. Jingle Bells
6. I'll Be Home for Christmas
7. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
8. O Little Town of Bethlehem
9. Christmas Waltz
10. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
11. Silent Night
12. Winter Wonderland
13. Away in a Manger
14. O Christmas Tree

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1551 in Music
• Released on: 1995-08-16
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.com
Oscar Peterson and his six-piece combo are all business on Peterson's 1995 Christmas recording, extolling the virtues of Peterson's intelligent and seductive keyboard work as well as those of his knowing sidemen. The result is a triumphant set of 14 standards showcasing the group's intricate interplay and tasty individual solos. The ensemble's instrument mix--a discreet blend of vibes, flügelhorn, guitar, bass, drums, and piano--adds splashes of color and shading on classics such as "Let It Snow" when you least expect it. Plus, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more knowing pianist. Peterson can be as sentimental as anyone , for example, on "White Christmas," while also slowing a down-tempo melody even more to create an intoxicating vista. With ensemble pieces led by one of jazz's living legends, Oscar's refined holiday record lacks only a yule log and a nice, smooth merlot. --Martin Keller

Customer Reviews

PERFECT mood music for a romantic Christmas night
When the presents have been unwrapped, the guests have gone and you're ready to dim the lights and spend some quiet time with your loved one, THIS is the CD you want to have handy to put on.

Peterson's unobtrusive and soothing, yet sophisticated tinkling of the ivories provides the ideal instrumental backdrop to whatever holiday activities you may have in mind.

On this CD, Peterson masterfully pulls off the extremely delicate feat of not making his music so dense as to turn off those of us not into Jazz, while at the same time never stooping to becoming the light fluff despised by true Jazz fans. It is this integrity and intelligence which sets this album apart from the rest of the Christmas pack and makes it truly outstanding.

I consider it one of the very, very best Christmas albums in my entire collection, and am happy to give it my highest recommendation to you.

Not a false note on it--GREAT Christmas jazz!
Almost every household has a moment during the Christmas season when Christmas music gets to be, well, too much. When that moment hits--and it will--turn off whatever you have on and put on "An Oscar Peterson Christmas" for a refreshingly astringent, swinging change of pace that still subtly evokes the joy and splendor of the season.

The album opens with "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" and goes right through "What Child Is This?", "White Christmas," "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and all manner of other holiday favorites. The difference is that Peterson puts his masterful spin on the songs so that they sound not saccharine and dripping with false sentiment, but bracing and clear and fairly snapping with energy. Could there be more innocuous song than "Jingle Bells?" Well, on this album, Peterson and flugelhorn player Jack Schantz make it into a smoothy-smooth, swingin' be-boppy pleasure to listen to.

In addition to all the classics, there is one original here that's well worth the price of the album all on its own: "Christmas Waltz." This is a gorgeous meditation on the regret and memories that can crowd a Christmas--you'll want to put it on while dancing in the dark in front of a roaring fire with your sweetie. Have a glass of champagne while you're at it. See what happens. Highly recommded!

Quit reading and start listening!
This CD hardly needs another 5-star review but it's going to get one anyway :) So if you're still wondering if you're going to like this CD --

* You like Oscar Peterson? Buy it and enjoy. He's in fine form, laid-back and respectful of the tunes but not slaved to the sheet music.

* You like cool jazz? Good heavens why are you reading this, surely you already own this one! No? Well then, you need to fix that right now!

* You like Christmas music? Get it. Don't let the jazz category scare you away. Sure, Oscar isn't going to play every note exactly as you've always heard it, but there's never a note out of place and this is music he respects and likes, too. His laid back style on this CD just fits so well that its a CD I love and my 80-year-old Mom likes and she's no fan of jazz.

Bottom line is that this is wonderful music played by a legend on piano. Get it and enjoy.