LONDON.- In celebration of the 90th anniversary of the birth of one of Jazz historys greatest icons,
Sothebys and Warner Music Denmark are delighted to announce the sale of a unique, single-issue album Take Me Home by The Oscar Peterson Legacy Quartet. The album will be released in just a single copy that will be offered for sale at Sothebys London as part of the Rock & Pop auction on September 29th 2015 (est. £20,000-30,000).
Oscar Peterson, who died in 2007 aged 82, is considered one of the all-time great Jazz pianists, winning eight Grammy Awards during a career in which he released over 200 recordings. Take Me Home by The Oscar Peterson Legacy Quartet features previously unrecorded and unreleased original Oscar Peterson compositions made available by the Oscar Peterson Estate. The album of ten tracks is a swinging, sparkling gem, packed with fabulous melodies, soaring improvisations and vibrant musical interaction.
Mikkel Torsting, Managing Director of Warner Music Denmark: In todays age of digital reproduction, it is easy to take music for granted. Ultra-high and uncompromising standards are essential components of Oscar Petersons legacy. So to honour these values, we have decided to bypass the traditional mass market and only issue this masterpiece album in one single copy, just like a sculpture or painting.
Dr Philip Errington, Director of Sothebys Department of Printed Books and Manuscripts: This sale presents an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a unique slice of unheard, unrecorded musical history by one of the all-time jazz greats.
Alongside Take me Home, Sothebys Rock & Pop auction on 29 September will include further exceptional Oscar Peterson memorabilia and manuscripts:
· Oscar Petersons Dunhill Rollags 18K gold lighter, presented to him by Ella Fitzgerald on his birthday and engraved with his initials (est. £10,000-15,000). Since their first manufacture in the mid-1950s, Dunhill Rollagas lighters have achieved a legendary status. Former owners range from Elvis Presley to Harpo Marx and from Noel Coward to Ronnie Kray and James Bond.
· Oscar Petersons favourite watch, a Gents 18K yellow gold Oysterquartz Rolex, model 19018 (est. £8,000-12,000). The legendary jazz pianist was a well-known watch collector, acquiring everything from Rolex to Swatch, and a client of Chronometrie Beyer in Zurich, Switzerland where he purchased this watch during the late 1970s.
· Musical manuscript for The Strut, recorded by The Oscar Peterson Trio in 1964, and released as the first track on the album, The Oscar Peterson Trio Plays (est. £2,000-3,000).
· Oscar Petersons musical manuscript and handwritten lyrics for If You Should Care, one of an exceptionally small number of songs for which Oscar Peterson wrote both music and lyric (est. £4,000-6,000). Kelly Peterson, the widow of the distinguished jazz pianist, notes that "this song was composed while Oscar Peterson was on a tour of Europe, written in his hotel room late at night, as he relaxed after his concert".
The announcement of this initiative coincides with Oscar Petersons 90th birthday August 15th, 2015.