Articles: "Oscar Peterson In Our Words"

"Oscar Peterson In Our Words"


~www.oscarpeterson.com
Selected comments from Oscar Peterson fans,





Some times I am exhausted and some times in dream land ~Luke
Oscar, there is not an amusement park in the world that could take me for a ride like you have. Just when I think the ride is over I am zoomed off to outer space all over again.You have done such wonderful things to my mind. You have taken me to places that no other musician on any instrument could do.Thank you and God for all the wonderful moments you have given me.

Family ~freya
I was lucky enough to have grown up with Oscar's first family, Lynn, Gale, Sharon Norman and Oscar. I am wondering why there is no mention of this important part of his life. Oscar taught me to play chopsticks on his piano at home, in his studio.His wife made the best chili ever, that was my first introduction to a black family, and because of their hospitality and love, I grew up colour blind.RIP Sharon and Oscar.

OP ~Yeoman
Quite simply the very best ever! Sadly missed!

Massey Hall Toronto 1967 ~Howie
Hi from England. OP was by far and away the greatest jazz pianist I ever saw, by a long way. One concert of his I saw was in 1967 at the Massey Hall in Toronto. The concert consisted of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Oscar Petersen, Ella Fitzgerald, and Coleman Hawkins. Was anyone reading this present? I do remember someone at the front throwing a bouquest of flowers at Ella's feet - she wasn't crazy about stooping to pick them up...but the Duke picked them up and graciously handed them to her. What a night that was!

thanks Oscar ~Themusicus
I was 13 years and my life has changed because of Him. After almost 34 years, I can remember the exact day and time when I heard Him for the first time, and above all, "the emotion".. woooow! Later in time I have never played piano for many years, because my parents convinced me that Music was not useful to earn money for living, but Oscar was always present in my life with His Music. Until, when I was 36 years, incidentally (...may be?) I put my hands on some old LP and ..... listened to the same song when I was 13 years. But this time, I decided to stop to be a geologist. I started playing the piano again and today I am a professional musician. So I like to think that Oscar was there.. on purpose.. and anyway I still owe to Him much happiness that I got!

Oscar Peterson ~Sofala1851
Yesterday I heard Diana Krall in concert for the first time. She told the story that she met Peterson, and even played the piano in his house. I was thrilled to hear that and we could see that Peterson influenced Dians' playing. Solfala1851 I enjoyed Diana's concert very much. While I was in my twenties I had the chance to see Peterson in concert in Zurich Switzerland. It was absolutely fabulous. I was lucky as well to see Eroll Garner, and the great lady Ella Fitzgerland.

Westcliff  ~Sofala1851
My father went to see Oscar Peterson when I was a baby - probably 1968 or 1969 in Westcliff-on-sea in Southend in the UK. He was late for the concert and parked where he could find and had the embarassment of having his registration given out over the theatre's PA system as he blocking Mr Peterson's car from entering (a Rolls Royce as he remembers). Anyway he remembers it as a marvellous concert where he had a superb view of the keyboard. Whilst growing up I enjoyed a lot of exposure to Jazz piano - Peterson, Garner, Evans, Tatum etc with the result that I subconsciously became a fan and particularly so of the 1964 'We get Requests' album and in especially 'Corovado' on that album. Sometime in the late 90's Oscar was due to play the Barbican in London and I booked tickets for my father and I but the concert was cancelled due to Oscar's ill health and sadlyI never got to see one of my idols. However he lives on in my CDs.

Oscar's music and life ~dbrambert
While we only met briefly, Oscar has had--and continues to have--a profound influence on my life. I remember when I first heard him on record. This, I said, is what music is supposed to be. Right then I decided to try to emulate this great man. Little did I know what relentless work and what beautiful experiences would come. I will never achieve musically what Oscar did. However, just wanting to do so raised my commitment, my playing, and my life. I share (with probably many of you reading this) the countless hours at the keyboard, trying to educe the right sound and solve harmonic mysteries. Oscar was a musician, not just a wonderful pianist, and continues to be a source of inspiration and musical leadership. I owe him a great debt, unknown to him. I intend to pay this back by sharing what I know with the younger generation who have a great need in their life to produce music in Oscar's style--and who can commit to that challenge.

Thoughts ~Momentous
My first hearing of OP was in college. A musician friend of mine at the college I attended (incidentally where the jazz vocal group Take 6 began--Oakwood University) played a tape of Oscar backing the Singers Unlimited. The cut was "Sesame Street". That summer I purchased a copy which I still listen to till this day. Since that time I have purchased numerous recordings of OP and listened intently. I have read biographies, and articles about OP. I was hoping to hear a live performance but never had the opportunity. I did however, hear Mcoy Tyner and Monty Alexander live. The fact that OP embodies the sounds of Thelonius Monk, George Shearing, Erroll Garner, Teddy Wilson, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Art Tatum and others to produce that eclectic sound is what constitute his greatness. I did manage to adopt his trademark pentatonic right hand runs (far cry from many of his double handed runs). He will remain one of the greatest pianists of all time, only to be rivaled maybe one day by Benny Green, ElDar Djangirov, or Gonzalo Rubalcaba. May his soul rest in peace!

Oscar's performances ~JayAre
I became a fan of OP rather late in (his) life (after seeing a TV broadcast on his commissioned Easter Suite) and was lucky enough to attend five of his performances between 1998 and 2006. After moving to California in late 1997, I discovered that Oscar was a fairly regular visitor to the state, and I saw him perform at Yoshi's (Oakland) the next year (on my birthday) and three years later at the Hollywood Bowl [also on my (40th) birthday!] Both occasions were incredibly memorable and involved me "sharing" OP with some of my best friends (jazz "novices") whom I hadn't seen in quite some time. I also saw him perform twice at the Blue Note in 2004 or 2005, the second performance being one that my parents also attended. Great art should be shared, and Oscar created masterpieces I relished sharing with the people I care about. The final time I saw OP was at the 2006 Monterey Jazz Festival, where following his performance he shared the stage with 80-something year old Hank Jones. I'd like to thank Mr. Peterson's family for the sacrifices they made in order that the world could enjoy this one-of-a-kind performer.

my thoughts.. ~guest73
for me, there's only two masters in the whole jazz world; one is O.Peterson and the other one is Bill Evans. for years, I always asked myself that "which one is better?" I couldn't give a decision up to 2 years ago. but now, my decision is Oscar was the best. of course Evans's high level harmonies, his capability in improvisation, and his rhytmic vocabulary was wonderful, maybe near to excellent; but Oscar was a different man; as someone said "There's no one like him." Yes, maybe he and Bill can't beat each other in technical subjects of music, but when the matter is the "taste for listeners" - Oscar beats Evans, I began to find Evans too intellectual.. there're lots of pianist, who can play very fast (nearly like Oscar); but they can't give the taste that Oscar gives; and also Oscar Peterson's -his own found- two octave far unison passages - I saw some pianists trying to do that; but they can't go far from being reminders of Oscar. Oscar, influenced from another legendary jazz pianist; from Art Tatum - but for my opinion; Oscar carried this heritage much more far away.. Now, naturally someone must take Oscar's heritage and must carry this far; but unfortunatelly I can't see a man/woman like that; I can only see some poor copies of Oscar - too bad. Dear Mr. Peterson, I miss you & the way you do "real" jazz a lot; and feel myself very unlucky that I couldn't be able to see you in a performance of yours, in your life - too bad again; sleep nicely in Heaven..

OP Trio at the Bermuda Onion June 15, 1991 ~Arny Handelman
20 years ago tomorrow on June 15th, 1991 the famous Oscar Peterson trio, with Ray Brown and Herb Ellis, came to Toronto. They had disbanded in 1958 because of Herb Ellis’ alcoholism. OP and Ray Brown felt that no one could take Ellis’ place on the jazz guitar, so they replaced him with Ed Thigpen on drums. Ray Brown left for Los Angeles in 1966. But in 1991 this definitive version of the trio, got together for a reunion tour. Oscar said that this trio was “the most stimulating” and productive setting for public performances as well as in studio recordings.” The reason was the interaction between them worked like magic. They had an unusually high degree of emotional as well as musical understanding between them. It was a highly sophisticated improvisational interplay. Together they pushed to ever greater heights of jazz brilliance. In this trio’s rare one-night performance in Toronto, they appeared at the Bermuda Onion in the classy Colonnade in a tony area of Bloor St. I was there with my wife celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. We came to the concert with the book in hand called “Oscar Peterson—The Will to Swing” by Gene Lees. Mr Peterson autographed our book of his life story, with the inscription: “Sincere Regards, Oscar Peterson 1991” Then I opened the book to a page of photos of the early famous trio, and all three members of the first famous and definitive Oscar Peterson Trio each autographed the same page beside a photo: first “Oscar Peterson”, then “Ray Brown”, and finally “Herb Ellis”. That night was so extraordinary and memorable for my wife and me, that we wanted to enhance the memorabilia of the autographs in the book. So we bought the DVD, “Oscar Peterson: Music In The Key of Oscar”. This wonderful DVD walked us through the history of the career of Oscar Peterson. It therefore ties in perfectly with the book. You can watch marvellous videotaped interviews with Oscar Peterson himself, Ella Fitzgerald, Quincy Jones, Norman Granz, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock, Nat King Cole, and many more jazz greats. Sometimes you get lucky. We did. The DVD, “Music in the Key of Oscar”, just happens to have the regrouped first famous Oscar Peterson Trio performance recorded live at the Bermuda Onion in Toronto in 1991. Their mind-blowing performance there forms a big portion of the DVD. Unfortunately, the Bermuda Onion suffered a fate all too familiar in Toronto: it closed. Perhaps in keeping with the downer of thinking about all the Toronto jazz closures, my wife and I have decided to sell our Oscar Peterson trio rare collection of autographs with the book and DVD on ebay. We feel it would be too selfish to keep this great memorabilia to ourselves. We did see Oscar Peterson subsequently, in a wonderful concert in Toronto, after he had recovered from a stroke. His left hand playing was somewhat impaired, but his playing was still masterful. But nothing will compare to that charismatic night 20 years ago tomorrow, when OP, Ray Brown and Herb Ellis did indeed show that they still had their special magic.