Oscar Peterson's Easter Suite: When a jazz legend brings Easter to life
Oscar Peterson was a shining light of jazz and is considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. Described by Duke Ellington as the 'Maharaja of the keys', the Canadian had something very special in store for Easter 1984.
Peterson, who has won seven Grammys and numerous other awards, composed the suite for British television. The 'Easter Suite' was long considered an insider's tip among jazz fans because it was performed only once on television - a musical Easter basket, so to speak. Then, almost 20 years ago, the jazz trio Kordes, Terzlaff & Godejohann rediscovered it and re-recorded it.And that's a good thing. Because I think you can use superlatives with Peterson's 'Easter Suite'. It is a highly inspiring work and underlines Peterson's ability to get the most out of a jazz trio.In addition, the crucifixion of Jesus has already been thematised musically more than once (Bach comes to mind, for example). Nevertheless, the ‘keyboard maharaja’ succeeds in putting his own stamp on the whole. This suite is characterised by powerful musicality, restraint and, of course, improvisation.What strikes me is that all nine pieces in the Easter Suite try to evoke a certain feeling or suggest a dialogue in the Passion story. For example, the opening piece, 'The Last Supper', is a solo piano ballad that evokes a sombre mood - fitting for Jesus' farewell to the apostles.Also, some of the melodies are very catchy, almost catchy. In 'The Garden of Gethsemene', for example, the bass literally sings the melody into my ears. The gently swinging piece almost seems to have an accompanying lyric that is simply not sung.Listening to the album, you also notice how easily the trio of Peterson, bassist Niels-Henning Ørstedt Pedersen and drummer Martin Drew can switch between moods. For example, 'Denial', a swinging, upbeat number, reflects the turmoil surrounding the arrest of Jesus, while 'Why Have You Betrayed Me?' has a soft, plaintive melody which is then replaced by martial sounds on 'The Trial'.So the Easter Suite is anything but a forgotten Easter egg. Rather, it is a cute golden bunny that pops out of the bushes every year and deserves our attention.