Oscar Peterson
Piano Solo on
Mean To Me

About

Oscar Peterson's piano solo is the third and final solo on "Mean to Me" from the 1955 Pres & Sweets session. Peterson takes two choruses over the 32-bar AABA form in C at 148 BPM, closing the solo section with his trademark virtuosic approach. Following the more restrained statements by Young and Edison, Peterson's technically commanding piano work shifts the dynamic center of the performance, bringing greater harmonic density and rhythmic intensity to the arrangement's conclusion. Fred Ahlert's 1929 standard provides a rich harmonic canvas that Peterson navigates with characteristic brilliance and authority.

Oscar Peterson was 29 to 30 years old at the time.