1959 · Album
Oscar Peterson Plays the George Gershwin Song Book
Recorded 1959 · Verve Records · Produced by Norman Granz
Peterson's Conversation With Gershwin
Peterson treats Gershwin's melodies like old friends worth revisiting, finding new angles in familiar territory.
Oscar Peterson didn't need Gershwin to prove anything — by the late 1950s, he'd already established himself as one of the sharpest pianists in jazz, someone who could navigate bebop harmonies or stride changes without breaking a sweat. So when he sat down to tackle the George Gershwin Song Book, it wasn't about paying respects to a classical composer. It was about what Peterson actually heard in those songs: great melodies that swung, chord changes that rewarded a player who could think fast, and room to build something personal inside familiar structures.
What makes this album work is Peterson's refusal to be reverent. He doesn't ice up the material or treat it like museum pieces. Instead, he digs into tunes like "I Got Rhythm" and "Summertime" with the same appetite he brings to any standard, moving through them with clarity and purpose. The trio locks in tight — Peterson's left hand driving the changes while his right hand stays conversational, never overcrowded. He doesn't overstate things. Each melody gets stated cleanly, then developed with logic rather than flash. You hear why the changes matter to him.
In Peterson's catalog, this one sits comfortably in the middle range — solid work that shows his craft but not the album that changed how anyone heard him. Oscar Peterson Trio + One (1964) remains a better showcase for how he collaborated with other voices. If you're building a Peterson collection, start with his trio essentials first. But if you know his work already and want to hear how he engaged with American songbook material without sentimentality, this one delivers exactly what it promises: a pianist who understood Gershwin had written jazz songs whether Gershwin knew it or not.
