Bernard Peiffer - The Astounding Bernard Peiffer

A terrific mid-century jazz piano album from Bernard Peiffer, the French virtuoso celebrated for combining formidable technique with imagination, swing and a distinctly modern approach to the piano. The Astounding Bernard Peiffer presents the Bernard Peiffer Trio in an intimate setting that gives his inventive playing plenty of room to shine.

The program mixes standards with Peiffer originals and adventurous arrangements, including “Yesterdays,” “Pip-Pip,” “Prelude, Fugue and Trio on ‘Lullaby of Birdland,’” “Autumn Leaves,” “Love Is Here to Stay,” “Soon,” “My Melancholy Baby,” “Laura,” “I Could Write a Book” and “Requiem.” Particularly intriguing is Peiffer's transformation of George Shearing's “Lullaby of Birdland” into a jazz interpretation inspired by classical prelude-and-fugue form.

Issued by Decca Records as a high-fidelity mono LP, this is a rewarding example of sophisticated 1950s piano jazz and an excellent title for collectors interested in distinctive pianists beyond the most familiar names of the era.