Oscar Peterson
Piano Solo on
Love Me or Leave Me

About

Oscar Peterson contributes a single-chorus piano solo on "Love Me or Leave Me" from Anita O'Day's 1957 album Anita Sings the Most, a cascade of perfectly articulated runs and blues-inflected phrases at 235 BPM. His solo over the 32-bar AABA form in E-flat demonstrates why he was considered the finest pianist of his generation, his fingers racing through the harmony with an articulation that remains stunningly clear at this demanding tempo. As the sole instrumental soloist, Peterson's chorus provides the track's improvisational centerpiece, his technical command serving the music's swinging energy rather than existing as mere display.

Oscar Peterson was 31 to 32 years old at the time.