JAZZ REVIEW : PETERSON AT WESTWOOD PLAYHOUSE

There is Oscar Peterson, and there is everyone else.

The pre-eminence of the virtuoso pianist/composer, a fact of musical life since he stepped across the Canadian border in 1950, was emphatically pointed up at Tuesday evening’s Westwood Playhouse opening.

It was a great night for the British. With Peterson’s fellow Torontonian David Young on bass and England’s Martin Drew on drums, Joe Pass was the sole American on stage, his guitar the only conceivable match for the pianist’s blinding expertise.

Physically, Peterson has become the Sidney Greenstreet of the Boesendorfer. A powerful and commanding presence, he seems at times to dare the keyboard to resist his onslaught, then minutes later caresses it with such delicacy that in effect every note becomes a grace note.

Though he has chosen for many years to devote much of his time to solo recitals, the company of men like Pass, Drew and Young makes for a stimulating challenge that brings out the best in him.

Not that the evening was lacking in moments of isolated splendor. “Who Can I Turn To?” began with a rococo piano solo in which the last note of one phrase and the first note of the next would be separated by a florid, dazzling run 40 or 50 notes long; then Pass took over for a finger-style solo that stressed the harmonic beauty of the song. A ballad medley composed of “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” and “Waltz for Debby” (the latter mostly in 4/4 time) again showed Peterson’s self-sufficiency.

Still, more often than not it was the group effort that turned the recital into a swinging triumph. Pass, as always, was Peterson’s third arm, the man with the magic plectrum (which he still stashes in his mouth while strumming rhythm parts while delineating a gently chorded solo). An improbable vehicle for Pass was “Holiday for Strings,” in which decoration and elaboration added up to beautification.

This was an important night for Peterson the composer. His four-part suite written for Bach’s 300th anniversary moved from a stately prelude to a stunning allegro, during which Pass and Peterson wove in and out of harmony and counterpoint, and thence to a brief andante followed by a rocking, irresistible series of elongated blues choruses.

His original ballad “If You Only Knew” evinced a mood of Kern-like melodic discovery, and his “Goodby Old Friend,” dedicated to the late Eddie (Lockjaw) Davis, provided the eloquent David Young with an elegiac solo vehicle.

The uptempos made the greatest audience impact: “Speak Low,” spoken high, used as the opener; “On the Trail,” which closed the first half on a trail few men could follow; and a blistering “Take the A Train” leading into a second Billy Strayhorn piece, “Lush Life,” in which Peterson brought out the full splendor of this majestic melody.

If the entire program had a weak spot it was the slightly frantic “Caravan,” a tune of limited value as a basis for improvisation.

Young and Drew pulled their weight throughout, the latter soloing only briefly and working mainly as a solid supporter with impeccable time.

Legend has it that when Art Tatum visited a club where Fats Waller was playing, Waller said “Ladies and gentlemen, I play the piano, but God is in the house tonight.” It might be said that after Tatum made Oscar Peterson, He threw away the mold.

The group will be at the Westwood Playhouse through Nov. 16 (off Monday).