On the Town captures the Oscar Peterson trio at its zenith, with bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis joining the pianist on this 1958 live recording from Toronto's Town Tavern. The three had been together for five years, and Ellis's imminent departure would lead Peterson to redefine the group in more conventional terms, with drums in place of guitar. As this recording demonstrates, the group had achieved a stunning level of cohesion. The three had a collective knack for finding different approaches within a single tune, and Ellis and Brown worked in tandem to support and prod Peterson's explosive flights. On up-tempos such as the opening "Sweet Georgia Brown" and Dizzy Gillespie's "The Champ," the effect is extraordinary, with Peterson generating solos of astonishing momentum and multidimensional complexity. Ellis's solos are a distinct pleasure in themselves. He adds an expressive twang to tunes like "Easy Listenin' Blues," and his mor...