Oscar Peterson Trio’s ‘Affinity’ Gets Verve Acoustic Sounds Series Release
Recorded in September 1962 in Chicago, the album will get a new vinyl release later this year.
Recorded in late September 1962 in Chicago and released on Verve the same year, the Norman Granz-produced Affinity captures the Oscar Peterson Trio at a moment of deep cohesion and fluency. The lineup — Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums — had been performing together for several years and had developed a rare, conversational balance. Here, in a focused studio environment, the trio refines its signature blend of rhythmic poise, melodic clarity, and dynamic interplay across a program of standards and contemporary compositions. It will be released later this year on vinyl via Verve’s Acoustic Sounds series.
Among the album’s highlights is Peterson’s first recorded version of Bill Evans’s “Waltz for Debby,” rendered with lyricism and quiet structural control. The trio’s sensitivity to pulse and color shines in Peterson’s phrasing, Brown’s impeccably centered tone, and Thigpen’s subtle brushwork. Ray Brown’s own “Gravy Waltz,” co-written with Steve Allen, brings a contrasting sense of buoyancy and swing, foregrounding the rhythmic intuition that made this ensemble one of the most admired in postwar jazz. Throughout the session, the trio balances refined technique with a relaxed, unforced approach — yielding a recording that feels both polished and deeply human.
Though often described as one of Peterson’s more understated early-1960s statements, Affinity endures as a document of the trio at its most attuned: a group moving with confidence, curiosity, and unity of purpose. It stands as an essential entry in Peterson’s Verve catalog, reflecting the ensemble’s instinctive rapport and continued evolution during a period of near-constant touring and recording. The session features Ray Brown’s “Gravy Waltz,” co-written with Steve Allen, which would go on to win the 1963 Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition.
The Verve / Acoustic Sounds Series presents all-analog 180-gram vinyl reissues of essential albums from the Verve and Impulse! catalogs. Mastered from the original analog tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings (QRP) in Kansas, each release pairs top-tier audio fidelity with meticulously reproduced tip-on jackets, offering faithful recreations of the original LPs for discerning listeners.
