The complete special BBC with interview!!! Oscar Peterson & Count Basie (piano) Joe Pass (guitar) Niels Pedersen (bass) Martin Drew (drums) 1 part - Joe Pass 2 part - Count Basie
Imagine that for decades, before the creation of youtube, this footage was "lost", and was only in the memory of the people who watched it live that day in 1980. Our generation take youtube for granted sometimes. This plataform is one of the most important creation in human history.
I, for one, am incredibly grateful that these incomparable recordings and interviews still exist and are available on RU-vid for everyone to enjoy. Thanks for posting.
Me too, I heartily thank UTube for these precious sharing. I just adore Oscar Peterson who was my compatriote, (both Canadians) what a great musician he was and he was a real gentleman as well. And I enjoy so much this beautiful piece of music. What a good time I have.
I find it interesting how masters of jazz so often have such a soft quality to their voice as they speak. There is a certain zen-like quality to their persons which always makes me smile.
I think this observation can be extended to people of genius in other areas as well. Barring some outliers with huge egos, majority of them seem extraordinarily humble, especially in light of the greatness of their achievements. Perhaps it's this journey to the frontier of human ability that makes them profoundly realize how hard it is to conquer oneself (a necessary precondition for greatness, I guess). More often than not also, they're tremendously eloquent, even outside their areas of expertise.
This is absolutely priceless. The conversation between Oscar and the normally reticent Count Basie alone is a major document in the history of American music--unappreciated by those who don't know jazz history and its true masters. Note how Oscar, the major prankster and intimidator (he loved to tell how he got the better of other pianists, from Shearing to Brubeck) admits that he learned about intimidation by the gold standard of jazz piano, Art Tatum--the ultimate "musician's musician," the challenge that any true musician must work to understand. When Miles asked Hank Mobley to replace the departing Coltrane, Hank responded: 'Miles, Trane was the Art Tatum of the tenor saxophone. I can't follow that!" When a Down Beat critic asked Sonny Stitt why he copied Bird instead of creating a new musical direction, Sonny exploded: "You don't know sh..t, man! Look at Art Tatum. You can't play no better than that!" The public understands Oscar's music much more than Art's. And the same goes for Basie vs. the frequently challenging, sophisticated and subtle Ellington. But when asked, the Count and Joe Williams would speak of Duke as the quintessential American musician, a figure best approached in theological terms. There are so few jazz programs left, and most ignore the incomparable Duke Ellington band--settling instead on playing the pop standards he wrote to support his band. (Please. No more Satin Doll's and Don't Round Much Anymore. Give us the Ellington sax section, rich colors and ironic humor.)
I am totally agree with you! this is a priceless material here!! you said it all about !! Makes me so sad that our society became so little for this days ! Look at this big bands. How many musicians here! all of them so talented. today the guys behind the show -the producers- are not ambitious as the producers from the past !! It was so much love and knowledge to share and money was not an issue ! this particular documentary is an historical piece of art!!
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RU-vid is freakin awesome. I probably would've pooped my pants if I had this on video when I was growing up, and here it is when you just type "Oscar Peterson"
I am surprised you should say that when in THIS VERY VIDEO the two icons (including Oscar Peterson himself) acknowledge, and quite rightly so, the unbelievable giant of the piano, Art Tatum himself! were they wrong and you are right???
I just read up on the history of the first tune, "Charlie." Oscar's first wife was Charlotte Huber, with whom he had one son, named Joel, and the song is dedicated to her. In the book "Oscar Peterson: The Man and His Jazz," it says that he composed a few tunes to sum up his relationship with Charlie and his son Joel, beginning with this one, which captures the beauty of his former love, then "Night Child," which is dedicated to Joel, and then "He Has Gone," which encapsulates his emotions surrounding his divorce and separation from his son.
I can beat this! While a student at UCLA in 1976 I went and saw the Count, Joe Pass, Ray Brown on bass and Ella Fitzgerald in Santa Monica. What an awesome experience...:)
I get your point, but I would be inclined to thank engineers, as there are no instructions for developing and deploying complex video capture and distribution systems in any holy books even though it would easy to do so.
I am listening to Oscar Peterson talking to Count Bassie about the kinds of piano and what it can do to the players playing.....awesome ! Lesson in life. OMG !!! Somebody pinch me.....I can't stop crying !!!!
You know....Count Basie I realize in this interview, is exactly in life, what and how he plays on the piano. He gives space. He picks his words carefully. His words are sparse but have massive impact and meaning. He had me spitting up my drink with his responses to Oscar. Timing. It's timing. The Count is the master of timing. I laughed so hard and authentically tonight watching this my wife of 36 wonderful years came in and chastised me!
Oscar has the most infectious laugh of possibly any of the great jazz players I know of! His response to Basie's remark about "soul" keys at 22:48 just warms my heart.
OK. This video just made my day. To all of we pianists and guitarists who have studied their instrument through the years, it's very uplifting and don't we all wish USA TV produced more programs like this? Hats off to the BBC.
I am so very glad I was born after all these great talents and my dad - thank you, Dad - shared with me his love of jazz. My life is infinitely better than it would have been otherwise. Thank you for sharing this, Palanzana.
Joe Pass is an idol to so ,many of us guitarists . Non jazz players like myself , just love him . His elegant phrasing , his feel its genius . This is GOLD
Cleveland Institute of Music graduate here. Do not forget this fact. Credentials are solid for this performance by Joe Pass. "Ain't Misbehaving" is splendid. There is subdued energy here worthy of your admiration.
Wonderful to hear the stories about Art Tatum. Imagine... To think this immense level of greatness was once America's popular music. So vastly advanced & complex yet so swingin & intimate. Notice the twinkle in Count Basie's eye. Musicians don't have that twinkle, that love, that humor nowadays. It's all only about manufactured ego & celebrity, shallow. This tradition & level of musicality & experience that these two embodied & represented is extinct. It was no doubt the greatest of all musical genres, so much more live & complex than any scored 19th c. transcription, so vastly beyond what today's popular musicians do. They were absolute kings.
I understand these musicians are very important to you, and I greatly appreciate their music as well, but to say that not only insults the quality of the music that modern musicians spent just as much time to make, but also borders on worship of people who had signification flaws, and erases the portions of their lives that would do week to serve as a lesson to future generations. From one Jazz lover to another, the older music is amazing, but modern music shouldn't be discredited either.
Two absolute masters at their craft. When it comes to jazz piano, you just can't do better than Oscar and The Count. I grew up listening to this. My parents had 4000 jazz records - LPs, 78s and 45s. True artists.
The whole thing is pretty phenomenal from a general music perspective, but the two-piano interview that starts around 15+ minutes in really shows the admiration, warmth& respect these two friends have for each other.
Owing to Ken Burns’ excellent “Jazz” documentary, I’m just now getting into this world. I’m so glad this is one of the first videos I’m seeing...what an excellent starting point.
He sounds so effortless and divine. Some humans are just gifted as they were being sewn together in their mothers. I would be happy to have 10% of his talent.
A thrilling experience……cascades faster than white water rafting in Colorado. I love those guys. The conversation a bonus, the laughter now a lasting memory. Thank you BBC Four, for taking the time to make this a lasting moment for millions of jazz lovers.
This is without doubt my favourite You Tube video for jazz. It shows what superb talent both these musicians possessed. I love the way Peterson shows respect to Bill Basie. He interviews him perfectly. Have watched this many times and it never fails to impress. The masters!!! RIP to you both. You brought so much love and joy to the world with your music.
8:45 - 8:50 I've listened to Joe Pass - on and off - for decades and he still amazes me at times. So much to study every time I see him play - not enough hours in the day
What Oscar offers is honest conversation. This is what it sounds like when a God-gifted gentle spirit shares his ideas freely, pouring them fluidly over the silence.
Fascinating how elegance in jazz can be expressed with a variety of style, between Oscar's sophistication and Bill Basie's legendary simplicity. This interview is a precious gift. Thank you! Ben
I've listened to Oscar Peterson for years, and never heard him speak until now. (Aside from his grunts while playing, haha.) What an amazing piece of video here. Why do we not have humans like this anymore?
the very first song, the one everyone wants to know about, is called "charlie" from the album night child. from what I can tell it is a peterson original! I love it so much!
Every youngster in music class needs to listen to these three giants at their craft. As the saying goes less is more. I am at a loss for words, incredible what a performance from all three icons of jazz.
Always enjoyed Oscar's playing. Adding the Count is doubling the love and more. THIS my friend, is Jazz. No mistaking. Including a virtuoso as Mr. Papp adds to the flavor. Great sounding instruments, all of the gentlemen with the lightest touch producing genuine warmth.
I am listening to these two fabulous piano players again for the 5th time this month. I can't seem to get enough. I like this disc because I never heard the Count in conversation before. These two are just so in tune with each other. SYLVIA - FL 06/26/18
Horn player here, don't usually get into listening to bass too closely but this dude is standout good. I love that he can play a double bass solo and you can distinctly hear the notes - no mush
Thank goodness for BBC! Great post, great music...The genius & musicianship warms my heart & nourishes my soul. Thankful to hear & watch this all these years later. It's precious & timeless.
Thank God for videos . Today no one can master the techniques these two gentlemen used . Music and I mean good music can change the day for anyone . This whole video was quite enjoyable
What a sleeper. There are some very profound insights on music making, human nature and humor these guys are sharing. It deserves repeated listening. Thank you so much for posting.
People is grateful for being able to hear this, I'm grateful for that and the fact that I can transcribe this music for myself and learn this beautiful language!
I've been looking at RU-vid jazz stuff for years now and I must say this is one of the most fun and interesting posts I've seen, and I'm only halfway done watching as I type this.. Thanks palanzana!
Icons of the most important Jazz period! We can't thank the "gods" enough that we have their music/video legacy. And then those massive -Bösendorf- grand piano's. These just incredible beautiful instruments, and never ever better sounding, than being played by Oscar and mr Basie. I have seen both men several times in fabulous concerts in Europe and are sorely missed! Great sound and great video. Thank you. Enjoy & Cheers.
*I worked on composing music arrangements with a buddy of mine for a play he did about his hometown in Maui, and I look towards Old Broadway Musicals, Operas, Concertos-you name it, for inspiration. And wound back to video interviews such as this for the same, and boy these Jazz interviews get the juices flowing. Not a lot of people appreciate Jazz now, but at least I know it’s the coolest genre of music out there.*
Having listened to these guys for years, it's just really enlightening to hear them talk with each other. I've been to Oscar Peterson concerts and the only semi-vocal thing I'd heard before was his humming along.
Someone below said there are 2 geniuses in this video, but I think there are at least 4. Basie and Oscar - it goes without saying. But Joe Pass was amazing, and Niels Henning Orsted-Pederson was one of the finest acoustic bassists ever. Oscar, Joe and Niels played together often.... There has probably never been more contrasting styles on piano than Oscar and Basie....
![[FULL CONCERT] Oscar Peterson & Count Basie & Joe Pass 1980 - Words & Music](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
