Oscar Peterson & Joe Pass - Porgy & Bess

1994 CD reissue.

No other version of the music from Porgy and Bess casts a spell like the one created here by Oscar Peterson and Joe Pass. Enchanted by the tonal qualities of the clavichord, a predecessor of the piano, Peterson determined to use it as a jazz instrument.

To balance and complement the sound of the clavichord, he enlisted his frequent colleague Joe Pass, who set aside his amplifier to play acoustic guitar. As repertoire, Peterson chose Gershwin’s 20th century opera and crafted arrangements that make it seem as if the music had been composed for clavichord and guitar. The result is a chamber music recording of timelessness and charm.