His father Daniel Peterson was gifted musically and played the piano and trumpet, and his mother was Olivier John. A jazz pianist who possessed dazzling, fluid technique and always delivered the musical goods in a powerfully swinging style. Shortly afterward Smith was replaced by guitarist Irving Ashby, who had been a member of the Nat King Cole Trio. [26], Peterson taught piano and improvisation in Canada, mainly in Toronto. Peterson was recorded in 1950 on a series of duets with either Ray Brown or Major Holley on bass; his version of "Tenderly" became a hit. Peterson started classical piano lessons when he was six and developed quickly. [18] In the 1980s he played in a duo with pianist Herbie Hancock. Despite this, Oscar pushed through, recovered and made a return to playing and touring. Very effective in small groups, jam sessions, and in accompanying singers, O.P. Then Herb Ellis stepped in after Kessel grew weary of touring. At the age of five, Peterson began honing his skills on trumpet and piano, but a bout of tuberculosiswhen he was seven prevented him from playing the trumpet again, so he directed all his attention to the piano. Jones and Durham left in 1970. After winning a talent show at 14, he began starring on a weekly radio show in Montreal. Oscar Peterson – Biography. He loved to cook and remained large throughout his life. He was associated with Granz for most of the rest of his career, touring According to Chrétien, Peterson declined the job due to ill health related to the stroke. Krentz Ratings: 1951 (1951), 7/10 Pastel Moods (1952), 5.5/10 Recital (1954), 6/10 Oscar Peterson was born on August 15, 1925, in the Canadian city of Montreal, acquiring the musical confidence he exhibits today at an early age. [7], At the age of nine Peterson played piano with a degree of control that impressed professional musicians. Born with a naturally perfect pitch, he learned to play classical piano from his older sister Daisy, who also taught piano to Montreal pianist Oliver Jones. He canceled his plans to perform at the Toronto Jazz Festival and a Carnegie Hall all-star concert that was to be given in his honour. Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, CC, CQ, OOnt (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. Montreal, Canada. This quartet toured and recorded extensively worldwide. In 2003, Peterson recorded the DVD A Night in Vienna for Verve with Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Ulf Wakenius, and Martin Drew. This trio emulated the success of the 1950s trio with Brown and Ellis and gave acclaimed performances at festivals. Peterson was born in Montreal, Quebec, to immigrants from the West Indies; his father worked as a porter for Canadian Pacific Railway. During the 1960s and 1970s Peterson made numerous trio recordings highlighting his piano performances; they reveal more of his eclectic style, absorbing influences from various genres of jazz, popular, and classical music. This biography of Oscar Peterson provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline. Peterson was criticized through the years because he used so many notes, didn't evolve much since the 1950s, and recorded a remarkable number of albums. Oscar Peterson, the famous jazz musician, started his recording career in the mid 40s with records for RCA. Oscar Peterson was born in Montreal in 1925 and grew up on the streets around his home on Delisle Street in those mean, lean years just after the Great Depression. [15] Their last recording, On the Town with the Oscar Peterson Trio, recorded live at the Town Tavern in Toronto, captured a remarkable degree of emotional as well as musical understanding between three players.[16]. Oscar Peterson - Biography. In the documentary video Music in the Key of Oscar, Peterson tells how Granz stood up to a gun-toting southern policeman who wanted to stop the trio from using "whites-only" taxis. Peterson picked up early experience as a teenager playing with Johnny Holmes' Orchestra. [31] After his father played a record of Tatum's "Tiger Rag", he was intimidated and disillusioned, quitting the piano for several weeks. 67. His father, Daniel Peterson, an amateur trumpeter and pianist, was one of his first music teachers, and his sister Daisy taught him classical piano. In the fall of 1970, Peterson's trio released the album Tristeza on Piano. Oscar, With love; Oscar peterson International Jazz Festival In 1958, when Ellis left the band, it was decided that no other guitarist could fill in so well, and he was replaced (after a brief stint by Gene Gammage) by drummer Ed Thigpen. As with Johnny Hodges and Thelonious Monk, to name two, Peterson spent his career growing within his style rather than making any major changes once his approach was set, certainly an acceptable way to handle one's career. Pass said in a 1976 interview, "The only guys I've heard who come close to total mastery of their instruments are Art Tatum and Peterson".[17]. [32] Tatum was a model for Peterson's musicianship during the 1940s and 1950s. Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (Montreal, 15 augustus 1925 – Toronto, 23 december 2007) was een Canadees jazz pianist en -componist Oscar Peterson was one of the greatest piano players of all time. Oscar Peterson, Canadian jazz pianist best known for his dazzling solo technique. Complete Oscar Peterson 2017 Biography. From 1945-1949, he recorded 32 selections for Victor in Montreal. Oscar Peterson studied classical music with Paul de Marky, a Hungarian-born teacher who had studied with an apprentice of the nineteenth-century virtuoso Franz Liszt. NDR Jazzworkshop 1972 (art of groove) References External links. Biography Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (15 August 1925 – 23 December 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist, vocalist and composer. Oscar Emmanuel Peterson is a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. [6] At the age of five, Peterson began honing his skills on trumpet and piano, but a bout of tuberculosis when he was seven prevented him from playing the trumpet again, so he directed all his attention to the piano. [34], Canadian jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, For the U.S. Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient, see. A guide to Oscar Peterson: biography, discography, reviews, ratings. Classical Foundations Oscar Peterson Family, Childhood, Life Achievements, Facts, Wiki and Bio of 2017. Birthday . Never slender, his weight increased to 125 kg (276 lb), hindering his mobility. A pianist with phenomenal technique on the level of his idol, Art Tatum, Peterson's speed, dexterity, and ability to swing at any tempo were amazing. Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, CC CQ OOnt (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist, virtuoso and composer. Oscar Peterson’s career actually started off radically different from where it eventually led, beginning firmly in the classics: Beethoven, Bach, and all those endless technical finger exercises, under the tutelage of Hungarian classical pianist Paul deMarky. [9], Peterson also worked in a duo with Sam Jones, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Joe Pass, Irving Ashby,[12] Count Basie,[13] and Herbie Hancock. Ashby, who was a swing guitarist, was soon replaced by Kessel. Like Erroll Garner and George Shearing, Peterson's distinctive playing formed during the mid- to late '40s and fell somewhere between swing and bop. Content. Because he was Norman Granz's favorite pianist (along with Tatum) and the producer tended to record some of his artists excessively, Peterson made an incredible number of albums. He was so impressed that he told the driver to take him to the club so he could meet the pianist. Pianist #48933. He was called "the Brown Bomber of the Boogie-Woogie". Oscar Peterson Biography by Scott Yanow + Follow Artist. In his teens he was a member of the Johnny Holmes Orchestra. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. He was a man that could make a piano roar as a lion, purr as a kitten, stomp like a bear and flutter like a butterfly all in the space of a few lines and yet never lose one iota of his superb sense of swing. The trio performed together until 1970. In the early 1950s, he began performing with Brown and drummer Charlie Smith as the Oscar Peterson Trio. As member of the group "Jazz at the Philharmonic" he started touring in the 50s and continued until late in the 60s. From 1945 to 1949 he worked in a trio and recorded for Victor Records. In 2007 his health declined. [11], In 1950 Peterson worked in a duo with double bassist Ray Brown. In 1995 he returned to occasional public performances and recorded for Telarc. Rachmaninoff's harmonizations, as well as direct quotations from his 2nd Piano Concerto, are scattered throughout many recordings by Peterson, including his work with the most familiar formulation of the Oscar Peterson Trio, with bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis. Oscar Peterson, Soundtrack: Phantom Thread. He asked his students to study the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, especially The Well-Tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations, and The Art of Fugue, considering these piano pieces essential for every serious pianist. Oscar Peterson was one of the greatest piano players of all time. This was more than a managerial relationship; Peterson praised Granz for standing up for him and other black jazz musicians in the segregationist south of the 1950s and 1960s. In 1997 he received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award. [9] Brown and Thigpen worked with Peterson on his albums Night Train and Canadiana Suite. Peterson operated the Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto from 1960 to 1962 with Nimmons, Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen. was at his absolute best when performing unaccompanied solos. Oscar Peterson discography and songs: Music profile for Oscar Peterson, born 15 August 1925. In 1949 Peterson went to the United States, where he appeared in one of jazz promoter Norman Granz’s concerts at Carnegie Hall, New York City. His original style did not fall into any specific idiom. With associates, he started and headed the Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto for five years during the 1960s, but it closed because touring called him and his associates away, and it did not have government funding. He had hip replacement surgery in the early 1990s. Oscar Peterson was a famous jazz pianist who won eight Grammy Awards throughout his long and illustrious career Oscar Peterson - Jazz Pianist, Timeline, Family - Oscar Peterson Biography Home Very effective in small groups, jam sessions, and in accompanying singers, O.P. Peterson had arthritis since his youth, and in later years he had trouble buttoning his shirt. In 1974 he added British drummer Martin Drew. Short Biography. The trio remained together from 1953 to 1958, often touring with Jazz at the Philharmonic. His father, as well as his sister Daisy, taught himto play classical piano. An engaging biography of a living musical legend, Oscar Peterson. Peterson died on December 23, 2007 of kidney failure at his home in Mississauga, Ontario. In contrast to the earlier group, the Peterson-Brown-Thigpen trio (which lasted until 1965) found the pianist easily the dominant soloist. Peterson grew up in the neighbourhood of Little Burgundy in Montreal. He began learning trumpet and piano from his father at the age of five, but by the age of seven, after a bout of tuberculosis, he concentrated on the piano. Biography: Oscar Peterson. During this time he made also numerous recordings for various labels. Only in his later years did he decrease his practice to one or two hours daily. Perhaps it is because critics ran out of favorable adjectives to use early in his career; certainly it can be said that Peterson played 100 notes when other pianists might have used ten, but all 100 usually fit, and there is nothing wrong with showing off technique when it serves the music. Peterson was open to experimental collaborations with jazz musicians such as saxophonist Ben Webster, trumpeter Clark Terry, and vibraphonist Milt Jackson. He recorded for Pablo, led by Norman Granz, after the label was founded in 1973, including the soundtrack for the 1978 thriller The Silent Partner. Oscar Peterson's later career. Jazz pianist and composer Oscar Petersonwas born to immigrant West Indian parents in Montreal, Canada on the 15 August 1925. He was influenced by Teddy Wilson, Nat King Cole, James P. Johnson, and Art Tatum, to whom many compared Peterson in later years. He continued to tour the U.S. and Europe, though at most one month a year, with rest between concerts. In 1969 Peterson recorded Motions and Emotions with orchestral arrangements of "Yesterday" and "Eleanor Rigby" by The Beatles. Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, CC, CQ, OOnt (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. In 1993 a stroke weakened his left side and removed him from work for two years. Read Full Biography. Under his sister's tutelage, Peterson expanded into classical piano training and broadened his range while mastering the core classical pianism from scales to preludes and fugues by Johann Sebastian Bach.[33]. [10], In a cab on the way to the Montreal airport, Norman Granz heard a radio program broadcasting from a local club. Among his students were pianists Benny Green and Oliver Jones.[30]. He was born on August 15, 1925 in Montreal, Quebec. Oscar Peterson's career as a jazz pianist has spanned over five decades. Those trio performances find Peterson displaying a love for boogie-woogie, which he would soon discard, and the swing style of Teddy Wilson and Nat King Cole. A pianist with phenomenal technique on the level of his idol, Art Tatum, Peterson's speed, dexterity, and ability to swing at any tempo were amazing. In the 1990s and 2000s he recorded several albums accompanied by a combo for Telarc. Most Popular ★ Boost . Peterson also credited his sister—a piano teacher in Montreal who also taught several other Canadian jazz musicians—with being an important teacher and influence on his career. On April 22, 1978, Peterson performed in the interval act for the Eurovision Song Contest 1978 that was broadcast live from the Palais des congrès de Paris. The legacy of jazz pianist and composer Oscar Peterson is chronicled in this riveting documentary spanning five decades of Peterson's unforgettable music. Remarks by Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones and Bob Rae, Oscar Peterson and The Trumpet Kings – Jousts, "Oscar Peterson: 1925-2007 / Virtuoso pianist - among jazz world's giants", 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.j352400, 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.a2240170, "Chrétien calls Peterson 'most famous Canadian', says Mandela was moved to meet him", "Oscar Peterson Tribute - Simply The Best", "Canadian jazz great Oscar Peterson dies", "Oscar Peterson: Virtuoso pianist who dominated jazz piano in the second half of the 20th century", "Oscar Peterson Biography - Challenged by Tatum Disc, Founded School in Toronto, Suffered Stroke, Selected works", "YFile » Ron Westray appointed as Oscar Peterson Chair", "Several of jazz world's top names to honour Oscar Peterson at free concert", "Oscar Peterson, 82; pianist dazzled jazz world with technique, creativity", "Oscar Peterson: Montreal-born pianist is an unofficial Canadian ambassador", "Legendary Jazz Pianist to Receive City's Highest Award", "Knelman: Oscar Peterson's piano lives on in Ottawa", "Oscar Peterson sculpture awaits Queen's hand", Obituary at Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, "Oscar Peterson, A Portrait", essay from 2002, Oscar Peterson: A Jazz Sensation—A Virtual Exhibition, CBC Digital Archives: Oscar Peterson: A Jazz Giant, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oscar_Peterson&oldid=989248389, Fellows of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 1978 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist, 1979 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist, 1990 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group, 1990 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist, 1991 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group, 1997 Lifetime Achievement Award Instrumental Soloist Lifetime Achievement. Oscar Peterson, whose dazzling piano playing made him one of the most popular jazz artists in history, died on Sunday night at his home in Mississauga, Ontario, outside Toronto. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, simply "O.P." Honorary degrees from Berklee College of Music, This page was last edited on 17 November 2020, at 22:07. However, Peterson credits his father with first instilling in him the importance of music. [24][25] He smoked cigarettes and a pipe and often tried to break the habit, but every time he stopped he gained weight. A jazz pianist who possessed dazzling, fluid technique and always delivered the musical goods in a powerfully swinging style. Not all are essential, and a few are routine, but the great majority are quite excellent, and there are dozens of classics. "Tatum scared me to death," he said, and was "never cocky again" about his ability at the piano. For many years his piano studies included four to six hours of daily practice. Although the school was closed after only three years due to the demands of Peterson’s performance schedule, it drew jazz students from cities throughout North America. by his friends. Granz discovered Peterson in 1949 and soon presented him as a surprise guest at a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert. His father, Daniel Peterson… Peterson grew up in the area of Little Burgundy in Montreal where he was exposed to jazz music. He was 82. It was in this predominantly black neighborhood that he encountered the jazz culture. But he was captivated by traditional jazz and boogie-woogie and learned several ragtime pieces. The Peterson-Ellis-Brown trio, which often toured with JATP, was one of jazz's great combos from 1953-1958. When Ellis departed in 1958, they hired drummer Ed Thigpen because they felt no guitarist could compare to Ellis. [28][29] He published jazz piano etudes for practice. Oscar Peterson Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, Template:Post-nominals (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer.. Born in Montreal, Canada, Peterson began learning trumpet and piano from his father at the age of five, but by the age of seven, after a bout of tuberculosis, he concentrated on the piano. His solo recordings were rare until Exclusively for My Friends (MPS), a series of albums that were his response to pianists such as Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner. In 1961, the Peterson trio with Jackson recorded the album Very Tall. The faculty grew to include Erich Traugott (trumpet), Jiro "Butch" Watanabe (trombone) and Ed Bickert (guitar). Oscar Peterson possessed incomparable technical prowess and his easy to follow and flowing performances in some ways allowed his popularity as a pianist to eclipse that of his predecessors. As a child, Peterson studied with Hungarian-born pianist Paul de Marky, a student of István Thomán, who was himself a pupil of Franz Liszt, so his early training was predominantly based on classical piano. In the 1970s Peterson formed a trio with guitarist Joe Pass and bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. [19] Although the surgery was successful, his mobility was still inhibited. [7] He remained Peterson's manager for most of his career. [14], He considered the trio with Brown and Ellis "the most stimulating" and productive setting for public performances and studio recordings. Peterson's talents were quite obvious, and he became a household name in 1952 when he formed a trio with guitarist Barney Kessel and Brown. Oscar Peterson. Oscar Peterson continued performing until his health declined in 2007, dying in December that year. Originally from Montreal, Quebec, Peterson is said to be one of the most technically brilliant and melodically inventive jazz pianists of … [1][2] He released over 200 recordings, won eight Grammy Awards, and received numerous other awards and honours. When he was about 14, Peterson took home first prize on a radio talent show and landed a weekly program on Montreal station CKAC. He had four siblings. He gravitated toward boogie-woogie and swing with a particular fondness for Nat King Cole and Teddy Wilson. [22][23], Peterson was married four times. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, but simply "O.P." He is considered one of the greatest jazz pianists,[3] and played thousands of concerts worldwide in a career lasting more than 60 years. Later versions of the group featured drummers Louis Hayes (1965-1966), Bobby Durham (1967-1970), Ray Price (1970), and bassists Sam Jones (1966-1970) and George Mraz (1970). During the same year incoming prime minister Jean Chrétien, his friend and fan, offered him the position of Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario. In 1940, at fourteen years of age, he won the national music competition organized by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. by his friends. Daniel Peterson, a West-Indian born Canadian Pacific Railroad porter and amateur musician himself, insisted that each of … Two years later they added guitarist Barney Kessel. Tatum and Peterson became good friends, although Peterson was always shy about being compared with Tatum and rarely played the piano in Tatum's presence. As member of the group "Jazz at the Philharmonic" he started … He released over 200 recordings, won eight Grammy Awards, and received numerous other awards and honours. Read Full Biography… In 1949 he introduced Peterson in New York City at a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert at Carnegie Hall. Peterson carried on working in the 1980s and 1990s, but had a brief break after suffering a major stroke in 1993. A jazz pianist who possessed dazzling, fluid technique and always delivered the musical goods in a powerfully swinging style. Oscar Peterson's birthday and biography. Oscar Peterson was a famous jazz pianist who won eight Grammy Awards throughout his long and illustrious career. [9] By the time he was in his 20s, he had developed a reputation as a technically brilliant and melodically inventive pianist. [27] Later, he mentored the York University jazz program and was the Chancellor of the university for several years in the early 1990s. His friend, Canadian politician and amateur pianist Bob Rae, said, "a one-handed Oscar was better than just about anyone with two hands."[21]. [4][5] Peterson grew up in the neighbourhood of Little Burgundy in Montreal. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, but simply "O.P." Both left in 1965 and were replaced by bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes (and later, drummer Bobby Durham). Kessel tired of the road and was replaced by Herb Ellis the following year. It was in this predominantly black neighborhood that he encountered the jazz culture. was at his absolute best when performing unaccompanied solos. [8] He became a professional pianist, starring in a weekly radio show and playing at hotels and music halls. Their album The Trio won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Group. by his friends, and informally in the jazz community as "the King of inside swing". According to pianist and educator Mark Eisenman, some of Peterson's best playing was as an understated accompanist to singer Ella Fitzgerald and trumpeter Roy Eldridge. 2008 Oscar Peterson & Count Basie: Together in Concert 1974 (Impro-Jazz Spain) 2008 Jazz Icons: Oscar Peterson Live in '63, '64 & '65 (Jazz Icons) 2014 During This Time: Oscar Peterson, Ben Webster. Oscar Peterson, the famous jazz musician, started his recording career in the mid 40s with records for RCA. Oscar Peterson. August 15, 1925 (age 82) Birthplace . Peterson was born in Montreal, Quebec, to immigrants from the West Indies; his father worked as a porter for Canadian Pacific Railway. Oscar Peterson Biography Releases News Biography When the world-renowned Canadian pianist came to Villingen in 1961, there was a mood of intense excitement all round. Their complex yet swinging arrangements were competitive -- Ellis and Brown were always trying to outwit and push the pianist -- and consistently exciting. Peterson's own pupils included Skip Beckwith, Carol Britto, Brian Browne, Wray Downe… [20], Although he recovered some dexterity in his left hand, his piano playing was diminished, and his style had relied principally on his right hand. Albums include Night Train, With The Oscar Peterson Trio #1, and Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson. In the late 1980s and 1990s, after a stroke, he made performances and recordings with his protégé Benny Green. After that victory, he dropped out of the High School of Montreal, where he played in a band with Maynard Ferguson. A man Duke Ellington once called the " maharajah of the piano." ... Oscar Peterson was a famous Canadian pianist and composer, who was born on August 15, 1925.As a person born on this date, Oscar Peterson is listed in our database as the 49th most popular celebrity for the … Oscar Peterson Biography. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by … Genres: Jazz, Cool Jazz, Bebop. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award, Toronto Arts Award for lifetime achievement, 1991, International Society for Performing Artists award, 1995, Oscar Peterson Concert Hall named at Concordia University, 1999, Toronto Musicians' Association Musician of the Year, 2001, Civic Award of Merit, City of Mississauga, 2003, Oscar Peterson Theatre, Canadian Embassy, Tokyo, Japan, 2007. During that time, he has recorded nearly 90 albums, won seven Grammys, and earned lifetime achievement awards from the Black Theatre Workshop, the Peabody Conservatory of … His technique was quite brilliant even at that early stage, and although he had not yet been touched by the influence of bop, he was already a very impressive player. Building on Tatum's pianism and aesthetics, Peterson also absorbed Tatum's musical influences, notably from piano concertos by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Peterson was persistent at practising scales and classical études. Oscar Emmanuel Peterson Pianist, Bandleader, Composer, Educator (1925 - 2007) The colored dots show the fastest links .