Dean Stockdale (piano); Tim Williams (guitar); Gavin Barras (double bass); Gaz Hughes (drums)
In his teens, Dean Stockdale's piano teacher pointed him in the direction of Oscar Peterson. To quote Stockdale: ...it changed my life. Fast forward a few short years, Celebrating Oscar is Stockdale's homage to the late, great Canadian pianist.
Assisting Stockdale in what is surely a labour of love are three of the finest musicians working on the British jazz scene - guitarist Tim Williams, bassist Gavin Barras and drummer Gaz Hughes. Having heard the quartet in concert and listening to the album on repeat, one senses the four musicians are friends rather than 'bandleader plus sidemen'. Twelve tracks - nine Peterson compositions and three standards - are familiar, of course they are, this is Dean Stockdale playing Oscar Peterson!
Blues Etude opens the recording and for the next sixty four minutes or so Celebrating Oscar is an absolute joy to listen to. Based this side of the Pennines, Stockdale can frequently be heard on the north east jazz scene, we know just how good he is. The others - Messrs. Williams, Barras and Hughes - residing Way Out West on the other side of the Pennines are top class players. We've been fortunate to have heard them here on Tyneside, not least in the company of Stockdale. A year or so ago, Tim Williams was the unknown quantity. Not anymore, guitarist Williams is as good as they come. Hear him soloing on Hogtown Blues or Noreen's Nocturne, he could be your new favourite guitarist. Bassist Gavin Barras is a tower of strength, hear him walking on Hogtown Blues, then there's Gaz Hughes, a fine, fine drummer. And then there's Night Train, superb, swinging jazz.
Listening to the album the famous names spring to mind - Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Ray Brown, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Ed Thigpen, Martin Drew - that's how good the album is, but make no mistake, Celebrating Oscar is the work of the excellent Dean Stockdale Quartet.
If you've long-since liked Oscar Peterson, if you were lucky enough to hear great the man in concert, you'll love Celebrating Oscar. Go hear the Dean Stockdale Quartet in concert (see the tour itinerary below), you won't be able to resist buying a CD. Buy two, one for yourself, the other one will make the ideal Christmas gift. www.deanstockdalemusic.com.
Blues Etude; Falling in Love with Love; Bossa Beguine; Nigerian Marketplace; Have You Met Miss Jones?; Hogtown Blues; Land of the Misty Giants; Wheatland; When Summer Comes; Noreen's Nocturne: Night Train; Hymn to Freedom.
Dean Stockdale is touring Celebrating Oscar. Forthcoming dates include: Kenilworth Jazz Club, Warwickshire (Sept. 4); Scott's Jazz Club, Belfast (Sept. 8); Arthur's Jazz Club, Dublin (Sept. 9); St Ives Jazz (Sept. 19); Hampstead Jazz Club, London (Sept. 20); Toulouse Lautrec, London (Sept. 24); Fougou Jazz, Livermead Cliff Hotel, Torquay (Sept. 26); Davenham Jazz, Cheshire (Sept. 28); Saltburn Jazz Club (Oct. 6); Le Barbizon, Paris (Oct. 26, Nicola Sabato, bass); Seven Arts, Leeds (Nov. 12, afternoon); JATP, Bradford Latvian Club (Dec. 1). Russell
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