Niels Pedersen became one of the most heralded jazz bassists of his generation, playing with
Bud Powell and
Sonny Rollins while gaining international acclaim for his many recordings with
Oscar Peterson. But the phenomenal bassist, whose sound is readily identifiable with a note or two, especially shined as a leader. This live CD documents a pair of concerts with guitarist
Ulf Wakenius (who also worked with
Peterson) and drummer
Jonas Johansen, the first five tracks from 1999 and the last six from
Pedersen's final recorded concert in March 2005, just a few weeks before his sudden death from a heart attack. The first set shows the bassist's many musical interests, blending his intricate solo arrangement of a piece by Baroque composer
Johann Sebastian Bach with his own mellow "Memories," a brisk samba treatment of the standard "The Song Is You,"
Wakenius' up-tempo cooker "Lines" and a subtle but virtuoso setting of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square." The latter performance fits seamlessly with the one from six years earlier. The intricate interplay between
Pedersen and
Wakenius is amazing in "You and the Night and the Music," with
Johansen's alternating between brushes and sticks. Their inventive approach to
Charlie Parker's "My Little Suede Shoes" is another highlight, while
Pedersen's love of his homeland is evident in a pair of lush arrangements of folk songs from Denmark and Scandinavia. This superb release wraps with an easygoing setting of "Our Love Is Here to Stay" in which both
Pedersen and
Wakenius dazzle the audience with their formidable technique. Both concerts are intimately recorded and this is easily one of
Niels Pedersen' best CDs as a leader.