Rabshakeh

This, basically. You can't fake being Arthur Doyle.

We all have our own tastes. But for me, given the quality of ingredients and cooking, Enja is probably one of the worst contenders of all record labels. It took me a while to identify that it was probably the label's production values.

I find it has a dry style with very prominent bass. Whatever it is, it really doesn't sit well with me. Which is a shame, because it's right in the chronological sweet spot for me, and it has a great catalogue of musicians. I'm aware that this is a minority view. Erroll Garner – Solitaire

Give me that old time religion.

I was thinking exactly that! Five years ago I saw him as the leader and heart of the scene. He seems to have moved away a bit. I still think he’s very talented - with a real feel for polyrhythms beyond his peers (and many of his elders). Listening to this brought that back. I think my favourite of theirs is Journey to the Mountain. I’m not sure whether any of them was ever a really top class record. But they all have moments. Now on: Fred Wesley – Full Circle (From Be Bop To Hip Hop) The sub-title chills the blood but this is full of great bits.

Do you not think that there strong similarities between Tatum and Peterson? Perhaps the issue is that the comparison is clear to anyone but also but not very informative or useful, like grouping Miles Davis and Chet Baker.

Attila Zoller – Memories Of Pannonia I sometimes struggle with Enja because I don't like the house production style, which, to my ears, is as strong as that of the more notorious, but very different, "ECM sound". This is rare record on Enja where I think the production style does work in the music's favour.

I love this stuff. It provides real insight.

Eureka Brass Band – New Orleans Funeral & Parade Thanks

Binker And Moses – Dem Ones Felt like a big moment at the time.

The "With Horns" comment was purely about OP. I certainly don't feel like that about all pianists, and many pianists I definitely prefer without horns (Bobby Timmons is an obvious example). I think that adds up to "I prefer Oscar Peterson as an accompanist or at most a co-lead, rather than a solo lead". Someone upthread describes his comping as "functional", which is probably not wrong from a jazz perspective. Clearly, he is not one of those pianists who elevates the tune as a whole. There are no unusual chords to pique the soloist's ideas or moments where his touch brings everything together. I don't think of him as one my favourite accompanists in the way I think of the likes of John Hicks. But the "functional" aspect possibly misses the main point. He's accompanist on so many classic Granz-affiliate records, many of which work so well because they foreground precisely those aspects of the music that Peterson excelled at: raw excitement and / or strong emotionality, rather than rhythmic / harmonic daring etc. In that way, he is maybe similar to that other darling of non-jazz fans, Buddy Rich, in that his virtues (viewed as an ensemble musician) are focused on precisely those areas that pop fans look for and post-war jazz fans generally don't. I'm with you. Love Gene Harris. Oscar Peterson agnostic. Did Oscar Peterson really have a "blues sensibility", though? That's probably where I would personally have faulted him most. Obviously "blues sensibility" is a pretty nebulous term, but if anyone had it, Gene Harris had it. Every choice of note and every touch is informed by deep nervous system level understanding of blues. Whereas I listen to an OP record like the 1961 Verve album The Trio and I hear a skilled pianist playing blues. All the tells that I hear in 1950s European musicians who have "learned" how to play the blues from records seem to be present in Peterson's playing on that album. I should add that The Trio (1961) is my personal least favourite OP record. I have a better opinion of others if his records.

Most musics. She does know her jazz. Not in the way that people on this board do, but she has a good knowledge. Most conversations about jazz that I'd had with her before now have been more obvious 29 year old friendly topics like Pharaoh Sanders, Coltrane or late 70s Sun Ra. My aunt and dad won't tolerate Oscar Peterson, presumably because they remind them of their older family members' music tastes and political opinions... No joke, but this is exactly what has happened. I have been saving face by going "Hmm. Yes. Also, what about Art Tatum?". Also Erroll Garner, who I wrongly associate with Peterson because of occasional flash, but who I do really like and was important to me as a younger jazz listener.

I agree with all this. Really, I'm just weirded out to be finding myself in any extended Oscar Peterson chat, particularly with a 29 year. And some of those trio records are great. Others aren't, obviously. I find Peterson extremely inconsistent as a leader in trio settings. But there's some gold in there among the... other stuff. This person has very advanced music taste. That's partly why a heavy obsession with OP is so left field.

Erroll Garner – Afternoon Of An Elf I don't see a great deal of Garner-posting round here. I typically incorrectly associate Garner with the likes of Tatum and Peterson - swing dazzlers with lots of notes (not meaning to suggest that AT and OP are otherwise similar); and I think Garner is like that sometimes, but this is really quite a different record. How is this one? I don't really associate Seldon Powell with the likes of Bauer.

A junior at work (29) is currently going through a heavy Oscar Peterson stage, concentrating on the piano trios, almost exclusively (weird: I am definitely of the 'better with horns' school myself). As the office jazz guy, I'm therefore having to have a lot of conversations about Oscar Peterson. I feel quite out of my depth.

I was put off for a long time, first because I assumed that they were compilations, and then later because I didn't really like the Lee Konitz one.

Tom Scott – Them Changes

The German repress, also reasonably hard to find but not the same scarcity value. Doyle's a bit of a self-parody, to my mind. But he's the most extreme of the extreme, and I admire that. Paul Flaherty would love to be able to challenge that kind of danger.

Actually, any recommendations for other showings of the obscure to me but excellent but excellent Italian musicians either leading or on rhythm on these records.

Any other recommendations for the Irio Da Paula / Alfonso Vieira spine would be really welcome. I understand that they played together frequently.

Steve Grossman – Jazz A Confronto 23 Listening to this one now on a bit of a whim. I'm not really a fan of Grossman (or not a big fan, I like him more or less) but this is great stuff, largely because of the Italian backing musicians, and Irio da Paula on guitar, who I don't know at all beyond @mjazzg 's recommendation above.

Love that record.

Thank you everyone!

Which would you start with of these ones?

Any views on the Jazz a Confronto series? They're a frequent feature of vinyl fairs. What was the concept meant to be? Some mention above of the Enrico Rava but does anyone rate any of the others?