ABBA

Jazz combo that originally comprised Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson and Charlie Smith. Irving Ashby and Barney Kessel were also members for a short time. When Kessel left, Herb Ellis took his place, and it is this lineup—Brown, Ellis and Peterson—that most famously represents the name “Oscar Peterson Trio”.

An incredibly prolific group, they released at least eight albums in the span of six years. They would frequently be joined by guest stars such as Roy Eldridge, Stan Getz, Jo Jones, Sonny Stitt and Lester Young.

In 1958, Ellis left the group and although Brown and Peterson regarded him as irreplaceable, he was indeed supplanted by Ed Thigpen. This incarnation of the trio lasted until 1965.

Brown and Thigpen left and they were replaced by Bobby Durham and Sam Jones. They performed with Peterson for five years, frequently covering pop standards as well as jazz. Durham and Jones left in 1970, and their surrogates were Joe Pass and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen. They recorded In Tune with The Singers Unlimited in 1971 and continued to perform and record together throughout the ‘70s.

In 1974, Martin Drew joined the group, and the trio was no more. It was now a quartet. In 1990, the trio got together again, with Bobby Durham on drums. Two of these shows, recorded live at New York’s Blue Note club, became Grammy-winning albums.

On 27^th September 2008, Mosaic Records released a boxed set of the trio’s work in the 1950s, The Complete Clef/Mercury Recordings of The Oscar Peterson Trio.

The Oscar Peterson Trio and The Singers Unlimited recordings

Sesame Street (Bruce Hart/Joe Raposo/Jon Stone)

Members:

Irving Ashby (Guitar)

Ray Brown (Bass)

Martin Drew (Drums)

Bobby Durham (Drums)

Herb Ellis (Guitar)

Gene Gammage (Drums)

Louis Hayes (Drums)

Sam Jones (Bass)

Barney Kessel (Guitar)

George Mraz (Bass)

Joe Pass (Guitar)

Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (Bass)

Oscar Peterson (Piano)

Ray Price (Drums)

Charlie Smith (Drums)

Ed Thigpen (Drums)

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