Oscar Petersen RIP

One of the greats of all time. Not that unexpected with his age but still.....



Reuters:

http://www.reuters.com/ar...3920071224

Jazz piano legend Oscar Peterson dead at 82
Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:43pm EST



TORONTO (Reuters) - Oscar Peterson, who sat atop the world of jazz piano for decades with his driving two-handed swing, technical wizardry and rapid-fire solos, died on Sunday of kidney failure, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp reported. He was 82.

One of jazz's most recorded musicians, both as leader and accompanist, Peterson came from working class beginnings in Montreal -- where his father let him pursue music only if he promised to be "the best" -- to become a major influence on generations of top-flight musicians.

Since blasting onto the world stage with a famous appearance at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1949, the beefy high school dropout amassed armfuls of honorary degrees and awards, including a 1997 Grammy for Lifetime Achievement and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award.

Canada made him a Companion of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor, as well as the first living Canadian to be depicted on a stamp.

One of my favorites. Amazing.

One of the best to do it. A Canadian treasure.

Cinnie said:

One of the best to do it. A Canadian treasure.

savoirfaire said:

Cinnie said:

One of the best to do it. A Canadian treasure.

When people mention canadian music, they never mention men like him . Always Celine Dion and other such drivel.

A true legend has left us.

This is truly sad news for me.

Oh my goodness He was THE master.

JesseDezz said:

Oh my goodness He was THE master.

Oscar Peterson, who once said playing piano gave him 'extreme joy,' dead at 82


at 19:16 on December 24, 2007, EST.
By Andrea Baillie, THE CANADIAN PRESS


Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson smiles while being honoured by Canada Post on his 80th birthday with his picture on a Canadian stamp on August 15, 2005. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette


TORONTO - Jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, whose flying fingers mesmerized audiences around the world - from dance halls in 1940s Montreal to the lights of Carnegie Hall and beyond - has died at age 82.

He played alongside the giants of jazz: Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Roy Eldridge, Nat King Cole, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, who once called Peterson the "Maharajah of the keyboard."

"Until the end, Oscar Peterson could tour the world and fill concert halls everywhere," said Andre Menard, artistic director and co-founder of the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

"This is something that never diminished. His drawing power, his mystique as a musician, was so big that he remained at the top of his game until the end ... Oscar Peterson has been the musician every musician in the world can look up to and aspire to."

Word of Peterson's death at his home in Mississauga, Ont., set off a torrent of international tributes, including a statement from French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who said "one of the bright lights of jazz has gone out."

"He was a regular on the French stage, where the public adored his luminous style," Sarkozy added. "It is a great loss for us."

Heritage Minister Josee Verner called Peterson a great Canadian and a beloved citizen of the world.

"His musical legacy will live on, as will his generous spirit in the hearts of those who knew and loved him," she said in a statement.

Former prime minister Jean Chretien reminisced Monday about the display of mutual admiration that unfolded when he invited Peterson to a 2001 ceremony honouring South African leader Nelson Mandela.

Chretien had been a fan and friend of Peterson's for decades, and says he had already offered to make him Ontario's lieutenant-governor after he took office in 1993.

He said Peterson declined for health reasons.

Years later Chretien brought Peterson to an Ottawa event where Mandela was named an honourary Canadian citizen.

During a private meeting, Chretien recalled, the revolutionary political figure glowed upon meeting the great pianist.

"It was very emotional," Chretien said.

"They were both moved to meet each other. These were two men with humble beginnings who rose to very illustrious levels."

Known for the propulsive swing of his music as well as his astounding technical virtuosity, the Montreal-born Peterson visited almost every major concert hall around the globe, recording some of the country's most distinctive music including "Canadiana Suite" and "Hymn to Freedom."

"He just drove the whole bus," Senator Tommy Banks, also a pianist, said Monday in Edmonton.

For the master himself, playing piano was an "extreme joy" that he couldn't articulate.

"I can only transmit it through the playing; I can't put it into words," Peterson said in a 1996 interview.

When describing how Peterson's music made her feel, the late Fitzgerald once said: "It makes you want to sing."

Throughout his career, Peterson was showered with accolades. He collected eight Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award in 1997, hundreds of prizes from the jazz community, the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for lifetime achievement and was a Companion of the Order of Canada. In 2005 Canada Post marked his contribution to music with a 50-cent stamp.

He was set to be honoured again next month in Toronto.

Peterson was frequently invited to perform for various luminaries including the Queen and U.S. President Richard Nixon.

"The piano is like an extension of his own physical being," composer Phil Nimmons, who helped create "Canadiana Suite," said in 1975 of his longtime friend.

"I'm amazed at the speed of his creativity. I am not talking about mere technical capabilities, although his are awesome. I'm speaking of the times when you find him under optimum conditions of creativity. His mind can move as quickly as his fingers and that is what is so astounding."

Peterson began playing the piano and trumpet as a young boy under the stern tutelage of his father, Daniel Peterson, a West Indian immigrant who worked as a railway porter.

He continued with his piano studies under the watch of his older sister Daisy after tuberculosis damaged his lungs at age six.

At 14, Peterson earned his first break, winning the CBC's national amateur contest (and $250). With his father's permission, Peterson dropped out of school to focus on his budding career.

As the only black member of a dance band, he was frequently subjected to the racism of the day. Peterson spent a great deal of his life acting as a spokesman for minority rights, drawing on his experiences growing up St. Antoine district of Montreal.

International exposure came in 1948 when Norman Granz, producer of Jazz at the Philharmonic, heard Peterson on Montreal radio and later invited the 24-year-old to New York to play as a surprise guest at Carnegie Hall. After the performance, the young talent joined the troupe and toured North America with them for two years.

Peterson, whose career was managed by Granz for over 30 years, formed a trio in 1951 with Ray Brown on bass and Charlie Smith on drums and continued playing with the prestigious group.

His most famous threesome - from 1953 to 1958 - was with guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown who were often cited as one of the world's finest jazz combos.

"You saw the greatness immediately," Ellis once said of Peterson. "He was awesome right away - always."

Ellis left the Peterson trio in 1958 and was replaced by drummer Ed Thigpen. That trio lasted for seven years.

Although Peterson was one of Canada's leading artistic exports, he was frequently mistaken as an American because of his Jazz at the Philharmonic performances.

"I've achieved a funny kind of status in Canada," he once said. "Most of it comes because I went to the United States and other places, and as a result of Canadians having seen me repeatedly on the television shows of people like Johnny Carson, Merv Griffin . . . I think that has weighed heavily with Canadians."

But he loved his home country and had lived in Mississauga since the late 1950s.

On a personal level, he was remembered as a low-key guy with a wonderful sense of humour.

"They named a school after him, he used to drop in unexpectedly to visit the school, that's the kind of person he was, very down to earth," Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion said in an interview. "You didn't realize you were in the presence of a world famous jazz player."

Added Menard: "He was a really straightforward man. Lots of integrity. Whatever he promised, he would deliver."

Peterson was also well known for his kindness towards young artists, having tutored many an aspiring pianist.

Diana Krall credits Peterson for prompting her to pursue a musical career after catching one of his concerts as a young girl.

"You inspire me to no end every day," she told him in 2005 during a ceremony unveiling a Canada Post stamp in his honour.

In his efforts to coach youth, Peterson helped open Toronto's Advanced School of Contemporary Music in 1960 only to see his beloved project fail due to financial difficulties three years later. He didn't give up, serving as an adjunct music professor at York University in the mid-1980s and as its chancellor in the early 1990s.

Arthritis became a problem for the charming musician in the 1980s, causing him some pain in his hands and difficulty in walking yet he never seemed to slow down.

In 1993, at 68, he suffered a stroke which incapacitated his left hand. Peterson recovered and resumed performing two years later.

He then released "A Summer Night in Munich," a live recording of old and new material; an instructional CD-ROM; and "Trail of Dreams," a musical portrait of Canada commemorating the Trans Canada Trail.

"Age doesn't seem to enter into my thought to that great an extent," he said in 2001. "I just figure that the love I have of the instrument and my group and the medium itself works as a sort of a rejuvenating factor for me."

A spokesperson at a Mississauga, Ont., funeral home said Monday that a service for the pianist would be private.

McCallion said the cause of death was kidney failure.





©The Canadian Press, 2007

Edmonton, AB - - If you're happy and you know it your hands, if you're happy and you know it do a

One of my father's favorite jazz master

RIP

My absolute favorite piano player.

RIP

I'm just sick about this--this man was AMAZING and will truly be missed. Also one of my favorite piano players. Unmatched, period.

And Neal, I had to get the Kleenex out after listening to "Love Ballad". . .good choice.
[Edited 12/24/07 19:59pm]

rip

definitely a loss for the world. he was a great musician.

i recently read hampton hawes autobiography, "raise up off me", and he had several accounts of encounters with oscar peterson. he portrayed oscar as both a great musician and a kind hearted-true gentleman, always gracious and giving.

One of the true greats and he got me into jazz. RIP.

NuPwr319 said:

i use to work for a company called Marquette Electronics and the owner Michael Cudahy (filthy rich ol' dude) often hired this trio to come and play at his private parties. I caught him and the hall one day and asked him if this were true and he told me to come to his office and he gave me a disc of this trio playing at one of his parties recorded on his home studio!

Awesome Trio! don't know if Herb is still around (always looked as if he would play his last note first) but to Ray Brown and Oscar, yeah if heaven has a band.....

btw, i was able to catch Ray on his final tour and at his age he was still doing things to make my jaw drop.

magnificentsynthesizer said:

i use to work for a company called Marquette Electronics and the owner Michael Cudahy (filthy rich ol' dude) often hired this trio to come and play at his private parties. I caught him and the hall one day and asked him if this were true and he told me to come to his office and he gave me a disc of this trio playing at one of his parties recorded on his home studio!

Awesome Trio! don't know if Herb is still around (always looked as if he would play his last note first) but to Ray Brown and Oscar, yeah if heaven has a band.....

btw, i was able to catch Ray on his final tour and at his age he was still doing things to make my jaw drop.

From CTV:
"In 2004, Peterson gave his last performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival. The musician Prince was one of the artists performing that year, and he stayed around for a few days just to catch Peterson."

His death is a great loss to all of us who appreciate good music, especially good piano.

The pictures you posted, theAudience, are just incredible!

krayzie said:

guitarslinger44 said:

NewPowerSista said:

theAudience said:

NewPowerSista said:

The pictures you posted, theAudience, are just incredible!

Thank you, thank Oscar.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Have been a fanatic for years. The guy owns the piano. Prince needs to take lessons.

Wave your wildsigns high!!

theAudience said:

magnificentsynthesizer said:

i use to work for a company called Marquette Electronics and the owner Michael Cudahy (filthy rich ol' dude) often hired this trio to come and play at his private parties. I caught him and the hall one day and asked him if this were true and he told me to come to his office and he gave me a disc of this trio playing at one of his parties recorded on his home studio!

Awesome Trio! don't know if Herb is still around (always looked as if he would play his last note first) but to Ray Brown and Oscar, yeah if heaven has a band.....

btw, i was able to catch Ray on his final tour and at his age he was still doing things to make my jaw drop.

Great story.

Here's one from "The Trio"...



...A Gal In Gallico


Btw, I know what I want for Xmas...


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

NuPwr319 said:

theAudience said:

NuPwr319 said:

You know, when I look at some of this vintage footage--it just amazes me how STIFF the audience is. . .I can't keep still listening to that!

I catch your drift.

More from "The Trio (w/Coleman Hawkins) along with Nat King Cole on vocals...



...Sweet Lorraine

In 1953, Nat King Cole said to Peterson, "I'll make a deal with you, Oscar. You don't sing and I won't play the piano." Peterson had just recorded his first album of vocals, accompanying himself on the piano. His voice sounded remarkably like Cole's and his piano style had also evolved so that it sounded close to Cole's work with Cole's own trio. The two jazz musicians agreed, and Oscar Peterson gave up singing, while Nat King Cole recorded piano-less vocals backed by huge orchestras.

http://news.independent.c...284870.ece


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

I just started appeciating/exploring jazz about 2 years ago.

I had heard of Petersen but not listened to much of his work. He was amazing.

I'm going to save all these videos.