Song:Mack The Knife
Album:Side By Side
From what I could tell, this 1994 album is the only time legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson ever recorded with a famous classical musician. Israeli born violinist Itzhak Perlman is more famous than most classical musicians because he appeared on TV a lot and his disability due to polio makes him memorable. By the early 90s, Peterson's health was deteriorating badly. He had put on a lot of weight and had hip replacement surgery. Then he suffered a stroke in 1993 that affected his left hand. But he continued to record for Telarc Records and he returned to performing in public in 1995. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 1997. It's not clear if Side By Side was recorded before or after the stroke. The big problem with the album is Perlman doesn't improvise. So that means Peterson, guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Grady Tate have to work around that. They do a very good job of making Perlman sound like he belongs. I wouldn't say that this album is Peterson at his best. But the album is an interesting curiosity that I think Peterson fans will enjoy. Of course Oscar Peterson's health got worse until his 2007 death. This was Perlman's first attempt at recording jazz. He recorded a 2003 jazz album with Andre Previn. He is still one of the most famous classical musicians in the world. Here's a video for Mack The Knife by Oscar Peterson and Itzhak Perlman.
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