Favorite Song: Hymn to Freedom

With President's Day, and Black History Month, I felt like explaining what I love about Oscar Peterson's "Hymn to Freedom." This recording is from his Night Train album, featuring Ray Brown on Bass and Ed Thigpen on Drums.

What we have here is Gospel mixed with the Blues. You can hear Peterson gently laying down his hymn, giving the small musical moments to the top, middle, and lower range on the piano. How often do you hear instrumentalists letting their melodies escape the top notes on the piano? I love how simple the tune is, moving mostly by steps up and down the scale. At the same time, it's a long tune that avoids repeating itself exactly until the "Amen" chords, right before the drums kick in.

Now we hear the blues. This is a neat reminder of where Jazz came from, improvising over old gospel standards. I think of it like a churchgoer who hears the Word, then feels blue because the world is not like it could be. In the recording, Peterson is kind enough to play some familiar chords in case we get lost. The solos themselves tend to start lower, then there is a bluesy middle, then an upper flourish before coming back down. Every so often Peterson tremolos in the right hand, or makes the notes "shiver." He's such a tease...

I should mention Ray Brown, who you can't always hear on the recording. He's there, adding his part to compliment the rhythm. He's done some fine solo work of his own, and it takes good talent to draw the listener to a bass line.

About three minutes in the Drummer senses the Piano is up to something and brings in a little crash sound to back him up. Sure enough, the tremolos start to get longer. About 3:45 Peterson goes where few pianists dare: He tremolos in both hands for a minute and a half, non-stop. But he's not just showing off--You can hear the theme through the shivers. 20 seconds later, Thigpen adds his drum roll, sending shivers up my arms. We're climbing up the mountain, we're about to see the promised land...

BUM, BUM, BA-DA, DUM (diddle-ee-um, da-um). A little more blues to remind us of where we came from, then we hear the hymn one last time. Free at last.