Oscar Pettiford
Oscar Pettiford was (along with Charles Mingus) the top bassist of the 1945-1960 period, and the successor to the late Jimmy Blanton. In addition, he was the first major jazz soloist on the cello. A bop pioneer, it would have been very interesting to hear what Pettiford would have done during the avant-garde '60s if he had not died unexpectedly in 1960. After starting on piano, Pettiford switched to bass when he was 14 and played in a family band. He played with Charlie Barnet's band in 1942 as one of two bassists (the other was Chubby Jackson) and then hit the big time in 1943, participating on Coleman Hawkins' famous "The Man I Love" session; he also recorded with Earl Hines and Ben Webster during this period. Pettiford co-led an early bop group with Dizzy Gillespie in 1944, and in 1945 went with Coleman Hawkins to the West Coast, appearing on one song in the film The Crimson Canary with Hawkins and Howard McGhee. Pettiford was part of Duke Ellington's orchestra during much of 1945-1948 (fulfilling his role as the next step beyond Jimmy Blanton), and worked with Woody Herman in 1949. Throughout the 1950s, he mostly worked as a leader (on bass and occasional cello), although he appeared on many records both as a sideman and a leader, including with Thelonious Monk in 1955-1956. After going to Europe in 1958, he settled in Copenhagen where he worked with local musicians, plus Stan Getz, Bud Powell, and Kenny Clarke. Among Pettiford's better-known compositions are "Tricotism," "Laverne Walk," "Bohemia After Dark," and "Swingin' Till the Girls Come Home."
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Oscar Pettiford
Jazz - Released by Bethlehem Records on 1 Mar 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The New Oscar Pettiford Sextet
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Radiophone Archives on 10 Sep 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vienna Blues (Oscar Pettiford)
Blues - Released by 1201 MUSIC on 14 Nov 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The New Oscar Pettiford Sextet (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Avid Entertainment on 3 Jun 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Oscar Pettiford Modern Quintet (Remastered 2013)
Jazz - Released by Bethlehem Records on 1 Jan 1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
In Denmark
Oscar Pettiford, Jan Johansson
Jazz - Released by Stunt Records on 1 Jul 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vienna Blues: The Complete Session (Oscar Pettiford)
Jazz - Released by 1201 MUSIC on 29 Feb 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Very Best Of
Bebop - Released by Master Classics Records on 1 Jun 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
3 for Duke
Teddy Charles, Oscar Pettiford, Hall Overton
Contemporary Jazz - Released by Radiophone Archives on 6 Nov 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Unique Thelonious (Mono Version)
Thelonious Monk, Oscar Pettiford, Art Blakey
Jazz - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Oscar Pettiford Sextet (Jazz Connoisseur)
Jazz - Released by Legacy Recordings on 30 Sep 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Greatest Jazz Masters
Bebop - Released by Master Classics Records on 1 May 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Octet & Nonet
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on 6 Sep 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In a Cello Mood
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on 6 Sep 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Complete Jazz Series 1951 - 1954
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 8 Jun 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Oscar Pettiford: Lost Tapes - Germany 1958/1959
Jazz - Released by Blue Velvet on 9 May 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Jazz Masters
Bebop - Released by Master Classics Records on 1 Feb 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo