Oscar Peterson : Girl Talk (Exclusively For My Friends Vol. 2)

The second release of the ‘Exclusively for My Friends’ series, marking the beginning of the partnership between Oscar Peterson and MPS, showcases a wide range of nuances in the Canadian’s playing. Alongside the soulful charm of the title track, the opener ‘On a Clear Day’ dazzles with its vibrant brilliance, and an elegantly swinging ‘Robbin’s Nest’ promises a fiery finale. Peterson increasingly takes on a solo role, as seen in the rhapsodically linked medley of ‘I Concentrate On You’ and ‘Moon River’, which he infuses with a Monk-like wink. He also stands out in the harmonically elaborate intro to the epic, seventeen-minute ‘I’m in the Mood for Love’, into which his two companions subtly join. Moreover, the recordings, some of which stem from a session in November 1967, reveal an exciting personnel shift for Peterson towards new collaborators. After the original lineup with Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen, the Canadian now relies (aside from Brown’s bass in