Oscar Peterson

Canadian jazz pianist

• Born: August 15, 1925
• Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Died: December 23, 2007
• Place of death: Mississauga, near Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Regarded as Canada’s most prominent jazz musician, Peterson had a monumental career as a pianist, composer, and singer documented by numerous awards and honors. Peterson’s musical brilliance and virtuosity shaped the legacy of jazz piano.

Early Life

The fourth of five children, Oscar Peterson was born in a limestone house on Delisle Street in Montreal and raised by parents Daniel and Olive. Daniel purchased a small organ and taught himself to play it while serving as a boatswain’s mate in the British West Indies. In Canada, he met and married Olive, also from the West Indies, and settled in Montreal. Daniel, employed as a porter with Canadian Pacific Railways, instilled musical discipline in his children and demanded regular practice. Often away on long trips, he prescribed specific assignments of scales, exercises, and pieces for diligent practice in his absence. The children were required to sign their names after each hour of practice. If the lessons were insufficiently prepared upon his return, the children were punished.

Peterson played the cornet in his band that comprised family members and a few locals who rehearsed in the Peterson home. Peterson was fascinated with the concepts of a single line melody and the ability to hold a continuous note, increasing or decreasing the volume. Following a lengthy bout with tuberculosis, Peterson was forced to switch to piano. He was fortunate to survive but his brother, Fred, did not, dying at age sixteen from the disease.

Ironically, Peterson’s jazz career benefited from his experiences in classical music. His sister, Daisy, also an accomplished pianist, encouraged him to audition for the Conservatory of Music in Montreal. Although he had an entire summer to prepare, he procrastinated and failed to impress the faculty with his ability to sight-read classical piano pieces. However, his impromptu jazz performance resulted in his acceptance. The audition also revealed that he possessed perfect pitch, the ability to identify a pitch by name just by hearing it, a valuable skill for improvisers.

Life’s Work

The transition from high school amateur to professional occurred when Peterson joined the Montreal High School Victory Serenaders, which featured another Canadian musical giant, trumpeter Maynard Ferguson. At age fourteen and at sister Daisy’s request, Peterson auditioned for a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) national amateur contest and won. This led to weekly performances on the Montreal radio show Ken Soble Amateur Hour. More radio shows followed, culminating in 1945’s national CBC broadcast The Happy Gang.

Once again Peterson’s father exerted his influence over him when he cranked up the gramophone to play pianist Art Tatum’s version of Tiger Rag. Peterson believed it was a fatherly joke in that the recording was really two pianists. When he discovered that it was actually only one pianist, one who was sightless, the revelation was too much for him. Dejected and depressed, Peterson avoided the piano for a month. Tenor saxophonist George Sealy possibly saved Peterson’s career by convincing him that he had to develop his own style and do it his way.

From 1942 to 1947, Peterson played dance music with the Johnny Holmes Orchestra, which also included the Ferguson brothers, Maynard and Percy. As the only black member of the band, Peterson was introduced to racial prejudice. Confronted with the harsh realities of bigotry, the situation was tolerable because of Holmes’s continual encouragement and the complete support of band members. While with the band, Peterson met and married Lillian Fraser, the first of his four wives.

Daisy, ever proactive, arranged a piano lesson for Peterson with one of Canada’s foremost classical teachers, Paul de Marky. The time Peterson spent with de Marky proved to be significant, as he learned to produce emotions, from utter despair to frivolity, simply by varying the key touch. An added bonus was that he was also a devout Tatum fan. Peterson maintained a lifelong love and respect for de Marky.

Peterson’s big break was his Carnegie Hall appearance arranged by Norman Granz, producer of Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP). His performance was critically acclaimed, prompting Peterson to join JATP and leave Canada for the United States. The period 1953 to 1958 was spent touring America and Europe. During this decade Peterson received several Down Beat magazine awards for piano play. He also met and developed a close friendship with idol Tatum.

In the 1960’s, Peterson fronted several versions of a trio with various bassists and drummers. With the assistance of a few others, Peterson opened the Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto in 1960. Initially successful and attracting jazz students from throughout the United States, the school eventually closed in three years because of financial difficulties. An amazing seven studio and four live albums were produced there in 1962 alone.

Peterson’s work with the trio continued into the 1970’s, but by the end of the decade he shifted his attention to more solo performances, less touring, and new compositions. It was also the period when he earned more than sixty honors and awards. The abbreviated list includes Officer in the Order of Canada (1972), Award of Merit by the City of Toronto (1973), the Olympic key to Montreal (1976), Queen’s Medal (1977), Blue Note Award for Outstanding Excellence in the Jazz Idiom (1985), Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters, France (1989), Toronto Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement (1991), Jazz at Lincoln Center Award for Artistic Excellence (1997), UNESCO International Music Prize (2000), President’s Award from the International Association for Jazz Education (2003), and a commemorative stamp issued by Canada Post (2005). In addition, at least sixteen honorary degrees, eight Grammy Awards, and eight Hall of Fame Awards were bestowed upon Peterson.

However, the productive but exhaustive schedule over the years took its toll. Besides suffering from ongoing arthritis, Peterson suffered a severe stroke in 1993 that affected the left side of his body and halted his performing for two years. He recovered enough to occasionally perform but remained ever watchful of his physical condition. Despite his ailments, Peterson continued to compose and orchestrate with the aid of advancements in electronic music and technology. In his home he assembled a state-of-the-art recording studio with synthesizers, sequencers, and keyboards that allowed him to continue making the music he had done for more than sixty years. He died on December 23, 2007, at his home in Mississauga, Canada, from kidney failure.

Significance

Jazz historians, music critics, and fellow jazz musicians place Peterson, who was driven to perfection, at the top of an extensive list of eminent jazz pianists. His incredible virtuosity not just his technical mastery and his uncanny ability to improvise creatively at astounding speeds set him apart from all others.

Peterson’s music has stood the test of time, surviving and thriving through several periods in jazz style history: the swing years, be-bop, cool jazz, jazz-rock, and contemporary jazz. His legendary status grew through his performances with other greats such as Ella Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and many others.

Bibliography

Lees, Gene. Oscar Peterson: The Will to Swing. Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.: Cooper Square Press, 2000. A greatly detailed biography, with revealing commentary by fellow jazz musicians.

Marin, Reva. Oscar: The Life and Music of Oscar Peterson. Toronto, Ont.: Groundwood Books, 2003. This book is a biographical portrait from Peterson’s childhood in Montreal to later achievements in jazz. The author includes photographs, a glossary, and an annotated reading and listening guide. Also included are Web sites, videos, and CDs to supplement the text.

Megill, David W., and Paul O. W. Tanner. Jazz Issues: A Critical History. Madison, Wis.: Wm. C. Brown & Benchmark, 1995. A text that is used in jazz history courses. Contains a chronological history, recommended listening examples, and historical criticism. Includes a dateline biography of Peterson.

Ostransky, Leroy. Understanding Jazz. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1977. Written by a jazz educator and lecturer, this work offers a broad overview of jazz origins to the 1970’s. There are several references to Peterson detailing his importance to jazz.

Peterson, Oscar, and Richard Palmer. Jazz Odyssey: The Life of Oscar Peterson. New York: Continuum International, 2003. Autobiography presented chronologically from Peterson’s experiences with early jazz in the 1920’s to his recovery from a stroke in 1993. Of particular interest are the narratives about his private life on the road and at home.

Wein, George. Myself Among Others: A Life in Music. New York: Da Capo Press, 2003. Wein, a musician, club owner, and jazz promoter, reflects on his memories of Peterson’s jazz and jazz in general.