Vinyl Vault — Oscar Peterson Trio, “Night Train”

Next on the Vinyl Vault, we’ll hear some tracks from a classic album by the Oscar Peterson Trio, “Night Train,” a release on the Verve label. The album was recorded in 1962 and released the following year. Peterson, on piano, was joined by Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums.

The tunes on the album are mostly covers with the only Peterson original being “Hymn to Freedom,” written on the spot during the album’s recording. Peterson was inspired by Martin Luther King and the following year, Harriette Hamilton put words to the melody and it became an unofficial anthem of the civil rights movement. It’s also an important part of Peterson’s legacy.

Other tunes on the album were closely associated with Duke Ellington and others were written by Milt Jackson and Benny Moten. They all featured Peterson’s unparalleled playing and the incessantly swinging rhythm section.

Join Geoff Anderson on Tuesday, September 10 at 8:30 pm for this early 60s classic on the Vinyl Vault on KUVO JAZZ.

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