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Eight-time Grammy-winning, Montreal-born pianist Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) recorded prolifically over the years, releasing studio and live albums throughout his lifetime on the Mercury, Verve, MPS, Prestige, Pablo, and Telarc labels, among others.  On April 17, Verve will add a new title to his already voluminous discography with the debut of The Oscar Peterson Trio At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge on CD, LP, and digital formats.

Renowned Detroit venue Baker’s Keyboard Lounge celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2024 and is still going strong today as the United States’ longest continually operating jazz club.  But the intimate, 99-seat house was merely a quarter of a century old when Oscar Peterson, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Ed Thigpen brought their year-old trio to its stage for a two-week engagement in August 1960.  Peterson was recording at the time for Verve, in the midst of a remarkable run of albums that encompassed tributes to legendary songwriters (Richard Rodgers, Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen) and Broadway musicals (My Fair Lady, Fiorello!, West Side Story, Porgy and Bess) as well as collaborations with the likes of Stan Getz, Louis Armstrong, and Ben Webster.  All told, Peterson performed 18 times at Baker’s between 1957 and 1972.

Verve captured the trio’s Friday evening sets at Baker’s for a live album that was ultimately shelved but now sees the light of day after 65 years.  The Oscar Peterson Trio At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge is packed with classic standards, Trio-style, including Johnny Mercer, Jacques Prevert, and Joseph Kosma’s “Autumn Leaves;” Mercer, Duke Ellington, and Billy Strayhorn’s “Satin Doll;” Rodgers and Hart’s “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” and “My Funny Valentine,” Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II’s “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise,” and Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick’s Fiorello! showstopper “Politics and Poker.”

These recordings capture the powerful frisson between Peterson, Brown, and Thigpen; the Trio would remain together until 1965 and can be heard on such notable albums as A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra, Affinity, and Night Train.

Look for The Oscar Peterson Trio At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge on April 17.  The standard 1CD and 1LP edition offer highlights from the five sets performed that Friday evening in August 1960; a direct-to-consumer 3LP version mirrors the digital presentation with all five sets in order.  You’ll find pre-order links and the track listing below.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The Oscar Peterson Trio At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge (Verve, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Verve Official Store

1. Autumn Leaves
2. Django (*)
3. Confirmation
4. Whisper Not
5. Billy Boy
6. The Touch Of Your Lips (*)
7. Ill Wind
8. Chicago
9. I Love You
10. Closing
11. Dancing On The Ceiling (*)
12. Politics & Poker (*)
13. Where Do I Go From Here? (*)
14. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was
15. Liza (All The Clouds Roll Away) (*)
16. Yesterdays (*)
17. Softly As a Morning Sunrise (*)
18. S’posin (*)
19. I Remember Clifford
20. Let There Be Love
21. Swamp Fire
22. Closing Blues Announcement
23. Satin Doll
24. Woody ‘n’ You
25. My Funny Valentine
26. Scrapple From The Apple
27. Closing Announcement

(*) included on 1CD/1LP edition