When Oscar Peterson was 14 years old, his piano teacher, Paul de Marky, left him with a statement which would govern his life: ?Respect the instrument. Make it sound as if it loves you. Then it will love you.?
The concert held at the ZDF JazzClub in Stuttgart in 1988 was played by Oscar Peterson together with the drummer Kenny Drew and the double bass player Dave Young. Their collaboration had begun in 1974. For Drew, who was British, it lasted until 2004, while the Canadian Young was a regular member of Peterson's trio for 25 years. Jazz classics, including a medley with five compositions from Duke Ellington's repertoire, form the core of the concert. And among the four
compositions by Peterson himself, there is one ? how could it be any other way? ? which is particularly enchanting, the wonderful ?Love Ballade?.