Oscar Peterson’s Birth of a Legend: Historic Carnegie Hall Concerts (Giant Steps 011) features Peterson, Ray Brown and, for one mini-set apiece, guitarists Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis performing at Carnegie Hall during 1949-53. The first three songs are from Peterson’s “coming out party” as a surprise guest with JATP that introduced him to amazed American audiences. Ronnie Scott was famous for running London’s best-known jazz club, but he was also a talented tenor saxophonist-one of Great Britain’s first beboppers, in fact, and a disciple of Lester Young. Birth of a Legend (Giant Steps 013) is a two-CD set that includes a cross-section of his best recordings from 1947-53.
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