Plays Porgy & Bess
George Gershwin's folk opera has been a source of inspiration for countless jazz musicians. This 1959 recording with bassistRay Brownand drummerEd Thigpen(who had replaced guitaristHerb Ellisthe previous year) features some of Peterson's most impassioned and bluesy playing. With the addition of a drummer, he was liberated from rhythm duties to become the trio's dominant solo voice. Producer Norman Granz, who frequently featured Peterson in his Jazz at the Philharmonic all-star tours of the 1950s, had the musicians work out the arrangements in the studio with a minimum of rehearsal. That freshness of conception can still be sensed today.--Rick Mitchell