"WHAT'S UP?"-THE VERY TALL BAND

Performers: Oscar Peterson-Ray Brown-Milt Jackson
Album: What's Up? The Very Tall Band
Genre: Jazz
Format: CD
Record Label: TELARC
Sound Quality: HIGH
Format: mp3_320Kbps
Recording Date: November 24-26, 1998
Personnel: Peterson, Brown, Jackson, Karriem Riggins- drums.
Total Time: 58:59
Size: 134 MB

TRACKS
1. SQUATTY ROO (J.Hodges) 8:17
2. SALT PEANUTS (Gillespie-Clark) 8:14
3. AD LIB BLUES (L.Young) 10:20
4. IF I SHOULD LOSE YOU (Rainger-Robin) 7:12
5. LIMEHOUSE BLUES (Braham-Furber) 6:51
6. SOFT WINDS (Henderson-Alfred) 7:59
7. THE MORE I SEE YOU (Gordon-Warren) 8:40

OSCAR PETERSON- piano
RAY BROWN- bass
MILT JACKSON- vibes
KARRIEM RIGGINS- drums



All Music Guide Review
Very Tall, the initial 1961 summit that found pianist Oscar Peterson and vibist Milt Jackson combining forces (with Ray Brown on bass), is considered by many to be among the most artistically successful collaborations in the careers of both musicians. A long 37 years later, and despite Peterson's 1993 stroke, all three were still going strong when they hooked up as "the Very Tall Band" to play a series of dates at New York's prestigious Blue Note. Telarc previously released one set of recordings made at the shows, simply called Live at the Blue Note, but this sequel, What's Up?: The Very Tall Band, repeats none of the material from that album, and serves as proof that everything the trio produced on those dates -- with young drummer Karriem Riggins keeping pace -- was nothing less than sublime. Peterson and Jackson (who has since died, as has Brown) allow each other all the space required to stretch out, but the brightest sparks come from the spontaneous interactions. On the Dizzy Gillespie standard "Salt Peanuts," Jackson is particularly sparkling, and Peterson makes the most of Lester Young's simple, unhurried "Ad Lib Blues." But when the quartet is locked into a groove together, as on "Limehouse Blues" and "The More I See You," that's when the specialness of this rare occasion is made clear once again. ~ Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide

The Very Tall Band at All About Jazz
By FRANZ A. MATZNER, Published: February 8, 2007
Like director's cuts, material scrounged from studio archives isn't always worthy of release. As with scenes that belong on the cutting room floor, some tracks, particularly from live performances, should remain closeted away—or at the very least held for box set bonus tracks targeting the completist.
Hearing the seven tunes presented on What's Up?, however, reminds us that some moments should never have been allowed to slip by in the first place. Presenting previously unreleased material recorded during a three-day live performance at the Blue Note in 1998 by Oscar Peterson (then 73), Ray Brown (72), Milt Jackson (75), and a young Karriem Riggins, What's Up? grants listeners access to three veteran musicians as they stroll their way through a loose, effervescent jam session.
A wonderful companion to the originally released material, these seven tracks provide insight into what happens when three masters take the stage without a script. The music resonates with three lifetimes of experience, and it is clear from first note to last that their individual styles were veritably made for each other. Brown's deep swing propels each track, while Jackson and Peterson glide effortlessly through classic bop pieces like "Salt Peanuts, the blues tunes "Ad Lib Blues and "Limehouse Blues, and mellow ballads like "The More I See You.
Both Jackson and Brown passed away within a handful of years after this three-night gathering, which makes What's Up? an important document of a historical moment near the end of these musicians' extended, influential careers. But producer Elaine Martone has done more than resurrect an evening of music for documentary purposes. This is music of venerable character, to be enjoyed simply for the musical joy it expresses.