A Swedish pianist, a Danish bassist and a Swiss, American born, drummer met up in a recording studio in Elsinore in March this year and boy am I pleased that they did!
Queen was the drummer with Oscar Peterson's last trio so it probably isn't surprising that he decided to record a couple of tribute albums to the great pianist. What is surprising is that it took him so long (Peterson died in 2007). Perhaps he waited until he found the right musicians for the sessions. If that was the case then it was certainly worth the wait.
The first album: O.P. - A Tribute to Oscar Peterson was also recorded in Denmark and had Zier Romme Larsen on piano and Ida Hvid on bass. This was in 2018.
I've only heard snatches of that first album but, good as they are, Night Train to Copenhagen has the edge - not least because of the material which is drawn from two of Oscar's most well known albums, Night Train and We Get Requests.
Back in the day, Sweden was the undisputed capital of European jazz with musicians such as Lars Gullin, Bengt Hallberg and Arne Domnérus, to mention but three, recording with various Americans who were passing through. In Calle Brickman we have a pianist who is up there with them - maybe beyond. Certainly the young man puts his own stamp on the choice selection of standards, modern jazz classics, a Danish folk song and an original by producer Niels Lan Doky.
Likewise, Denmark's place in the jazz pantheon has also always been at the forefront. Many American musicians made there home there and one of the world's great bass players, the late NHOP was a one time member of the Peterson Trio. With Tobias Lan Mikkelson on bass, his legacy is in good hands.
Alvin Queen, not only holds it all together but ensures that it swings. This isn't mere lip service but something that takes Peterson's work - I won't say to a greater level as no one could do that - to a glimpse of where it might have been had he still been with us.
One thing is sure, Oscar Peterson would have been so proud of what Alvin and his two young sidemen have done with his music. Lance.
Available Nov. 19 on Stunt Records.
Have You Met Miss Jones?;Bags Groove; I Got it Bad (and That Ain't Good); Farewell Song; Quiet Nights; Days of Wine and Roses; Goodbye JD; Tranquility in the Woods; D & E; Georgia on my Mind; Night Train; C Jam Blues; People; Moten Swing; Some Other Time.
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