Oscar Peterson, Minuet 1

Oscar Peterson was a great jazz pianist of the 20th century. I think he's my favorite jazz pianist because so much of his jazz is so bluesy. Years ago, I purchased his Jazz Exercises, Minuets, Etudes, and Pieces for Piano ... and I don't know if I ever opened it.

Last week, reader, I opened it. And it is delightful.

The first section consists of finger exercises and minuets. Even though these are very simple, they are good exercises. I've decided to work my way through the book as an element of my technique work.

His first minuet sounds like Bach. I suppose I could jazz it up with swung eighth notes and some slides and turns, but for now, I'm just playing it as written because it's so beautiful. Enjoy!

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