Oscar Peterson
Piano Solo on
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

About

Oscar Peterson closes Anita O'Day's 1957 album Anita Sings the Most with a half-chorus piano solo on Rodgers and Hart's "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" at a slow 72 BPM. His approach to the 32-bar AABA form in E-flat is a masterclass in ballad playing, his touch and harmonic choices demonstrating the depth of musical feeling he could bring to a tender lyric. The composition is one of the most harmonically rich songs in the standard repertoire, and Peterson explores its chromatic beauties with the patience and sensitivity the tempo demands. As the sole instrumental soloist, his half-chorus statement serves as a fitting conclusion to one of the essential vocal recordings of the 1950s.

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