C&L's Late Nite Music Club with Oscar Peterson RIP
By John Amato Sunday Dec 23, 2007 10:00pmWe'll miss you, Oscar.
Legendary jazz pianist and composer Oscar Peterson has died at the age of 82, friends said Monday, sounding the final note for one of the most celebrated musical careers of the 20th century. The Canadian, who reportedly died of kidney failure late Sunday, played with all the greats during his six decades in the business with a versatile style that ranged from boogie-woogie to stride to bebop. Jazz musician Oliver Jones bemoaned the "terrible, terrible loss" of his long-time friend. "But I'm very happy that he died the way that he wanted to, at home, with his family around him," he told CBC television.
Check out "Night Train"
Please add your own favorite clip of Oscar in the thread....
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man, i really wanted to post my fav xmas tunes, but this puts a downer on the whole holiday thing
my parents had a few of peterson's album, and i wore them out as a kid, when i was in jazz band in jr high....i wanted to be as cool as the canadian (never made it)
autumn leaves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oHaL5cV9jY
and can someone please explain to me how the vp is still kicking and god allows a treaure like oscar to pass from this earth?
Herbie Hancock & Oscar Peterson Piano Duel - Billie´s Bounce
http://youtube.com/watch?v=IufLUxtDp_M
Oscar was such a fabulous musician.
As long as mankind listens to music his voice will be heard.
Rest Well Departed Master
Oscar on the blues (solo piano):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XhQjwPI6H0k
You gotta watch the whole piece to really appreciate how Oscar could take something as simple as a blues and make your jaw drop as he builds it.
And just when you think he couldn't possibly push it any further... he does.
The man could swing, no doubt about it.
In addition to his great contribution to jazz, the next best thing Oscar Peterson did was to stay in Canada! Thanks Oscar, for not abandoning your country!
Oscar Peterson performed with Ella Fitzgerald on the Ella Returns to Berlin album. Ella was at her best and Oscar's virtuosity was in full bloom. The finest recording of a Jazz concert ever.
CBC has a ton of clips of Oscar in their archives (running a little slow tonight - must be popular)
Oscar at his cottage - fishing on the lake, jamming on a Gleeman synthesizer and melodica. (1983)
Oscar on racism against white musicians - from 1966. Oscar was a really articulate man.
Also, check out the clip from 1944 where Oscar is introduced to the crowd as "the colored boy with the amazing fingers" when he's just 18 years old.
Damn.
Damn.
We need more Oscar Petersons in this world.
RIP Oscar Peterson. Was just listening to his Christmas album tonite. It may be the best jazz Christmas album ever recorded. I had always hoped to see him in concert some day... A HUGE loss for the world of jazz.
I'll second all of the above. And whoever picked these clips, they are good ones. Funny thing about Oscar, on tape or in person. Every time you hear him, you think, 'That's the greatest'. Then you hear him again, same thing, 'The greatest'. He always outdid himself. And treated his listeners.
when I saw him play with Herbie Hancock he could do Herbie's style better than Herbie himself. There is no equall to Oscar he could do it all from classical to Jazz or bogie woogie he will always be the greatest.
I'll start by simply saying this - the most romantic night of my life was listening to Oscar Peterson live at the Ravinia Jazz Festival.
On a warm, breezy June night in 1992, I was filled with wine and the arms and blue eyes of my sweetheart at the time. As we lay on the lawn, snuggled in blankets, bassists, drummers, and Oscar's huge, lush chords and arpeggios, and looking up at the stars, I thought - If everyone could experience this, the world would be a happier place.
The late Ron Cuzner, the legendary all-night jazz DJ from Milwaukee once said this, in his long, luxurious trademark delivery:
"In heaven, the baritone sax will be played by Gerry Mulligan, the bass by Percy Heath, and the piano........the piano will be played by Oscar."
Rest In Peace, Oscar - and thank you for that night at Ravinia.
Oscar always surrounded himself with greatness. What a fabulous, extraordinary musician. Always.
I am deeply saddened at the news of Oscar's passing. I love all the clips, and the CBC archive (thanks Moose). The first time I saw him was 1973 at The London House in Chicago. He was recording his trio with Joe Pass and Niels Pedersen. I remember him staring at a noisy patron until the guy shut up. You could hear a pin drop in the joint and his playing was spectacular. I last saw him about five years ago, and even with very limited use of his LH, he played beautifully...the ballads were especially soulful. I love so many things about the astonishing playing of Oscar Peterson ....his stride playing was breathtaking....his voicing of chords and reharmonization of tunes is still fresh to this day....the effortless way he could play those wickedly fast two-octave unison lines....his thrilling "locked hands" technique....his use of lengthy tremelos....his hilarious grunting while playing (second only to Erroll Garner)...all the dazzling licks that made up his jazz piano vocabulary....but, most of all, Oscar could swing! He swung his balls off and I will never tire of listening to him...or to the many players who have learned many of their tools from this great legend. I love his youthful playing with Billie Holiday, all those terrific Pablo Records, his compositions (especially the "Canadian Suite" and "Blues Etude"). I love "We Get Requests", "Oscar Peterson in Russia", his solo recording "Tracks"...but if I had to pick one, it would be "Tristeza on Piano". I plan on wearing it out this week. Rest in Peace Oscar and thank you.
Let me add my recommendation. Peterson played with a lot of musicians, but I think by far the best group was his drummerless 50s trio with Ray Brown (b) and Herb Ellis (g). Without drums, this group was still able to swing like crazy, and the lack of drums gave this wonderful little group a versatility that allowed for a really unique sound. They played all the time during their stint, and had tight, interesting arrangements.
My favorite recordings from this group, all live, are
Live at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival
On The Town
Live at Zardi's
-- in that order. Super super super. Can't recommend it highly enough. Track 5 on the Stratford is as sublime as it gets.
By the way, the second clip on the main blog posting is the trio I discussed. Those aren't drums, but Ellis playing his guitar like a percussion instrument.
The tune is Gal in Calico, a song Miles made famous. Peterson sneaks in a nice quote from Surrey.
The trio does this tune on On The Town.
Love this video where they filmed Oscar's hands while he was playing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoSWBFz8UdQ
John and Faith Hubley's classic short, "The Tender Game", with the Oscar Peterson Trio and Ella Fitzgerald performing "Tenderly":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHIGQctLC44
You were too young. Only the good die young.
And Oscar? Just because God's girlfriend is the lead singer in the band up there, doesn't mean you have to give her an easy time.
My favorite album was the live London recording with Louis Bellson. Favorite tune was Sandy's Blues. I was fortunate to see him in concert in Scottsdale AZ. A musical giant.
How fortunate for all of us to have such a gift. RIP Mr. Peterson and hope to hear you next time around.
Sit down Gabriel and listen to the master play.
The first video just makes my eyes well up. It's so beautiful and such a great statement. In a way, it sounds final and is such a suitable tune with which to see him off. Goodbye gentle giant. RIP Oscar.
Thanks Moose, that video was indescribable
Oscar. :(
Did you hear that, Frank? It's Christmas and it's Oscar.
Love ya, man.
...jamming on a Gleeman synthesizer and melodica.
Believe it or not, I sold Oscar that Gleeman Pentaphonic synthesizer in 1985.
He was performing at the old Keystone Corner club in San Francisco's North Beach, and I worked at a music store (Don Wehr's Music City) down the street. We were the first Gleeman dealer in the country, and Oscar was one of the first people to own one. He sat at the Gleeman for over an hour playing with it (while a small crowd gathered) and then said he wanted one right away. At the time, we only had the one demo unit in the store, so we called down to Gleeman in Mountain View. Bob Gleeman drove up to the City that day with a brand new unit, which we took to Oscar at the club that night.
RIP Oscar...
RIP ,
You will never be forgotten
I just discovered Oscar Peterson a few months ago while wandering through emusic.com. They have a bunch of his stuff, and it's absolutely sublime!
Get yourself a free trial sub to emusic and fill up on this wonderful man's music.
It's sad that he's gone, but hopefully he had his innings and got in his licks. Play us home, Mr. Peterson!
He was once described (I forget by whom) as "The new Franz Liszt". That's quite a statement.
Unlike many in Jazz, Peterson was purely Jazz yet retained his popularity. Davis faded in the 1970s, Hancock played pop, swing stoped and many others "crossed over" to stay in the public's eye and maintain record sales. Oscar Peterson never needed to do that, a rare feat accomplished by few.
Some may be sad, or crying, but I smile. He had a long life, great success, no scandals and was a great human being. What more could one want from life or from a celebrity?
Oscar Peterson brought an amazing amount of joy, intelligence, and enthusiasm to the art of jazz piano. Though he played in a different way, Errroll Garner perhaps came the closest to Mr. Peterson in sharing that same exuberance and delight in interpreting a jazz melody.
The first jazz musician I ever really listened to was Charlie Parker. It was a pretty easy intro to jazz because he was well-known and there had been a movie made about him. From there I started listening to more and more jazz, mostly sticking with familiar names. Then I bought an Oscar Peterson album not really knowing anything about him. He quickly became my favorite jazz pianist and was definitely one of my favorite jazz artists period. Now I consider myself an avid jazz fan with a decent collection of music. I have to credit Oscar with deepening my love of jazz. I feel bad when someone like this dies, kind of like how I felt when John Lee Hooker or Johnny Cash died. He was great and his music and what it gave me has really enriched my life.
It was my first jazz album. Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen, and Milt Jackson.
When I heard "On Green Dolphin Street" and "Work Song," I became addicted to jazz.
Ironically, the one I most connected with was Ray Brown. Not to take anything away from Oscar Peterson - I love him and his music. But Peterson was blessed to have what I consider to be one of the top jazz bass players of all time. It was Ray Brown who put that swing in there. His walk was just a magic carpet ride. In the later days, when Peterson was mixing his jazz up with more esoteric classical stuff, Brown was playing with Gene Harris, and I have to say that musically, I followed Ray over in that direction. Hard, swinging, and bluesy.
But the Oscar Peterson Trio will always be my first love. And both those guys, Brown & Peterson, outside of the music, were find gentlemen as well - something one see less and less of today - modest and kind.
Joe Max @ 27:
I was living in Berkeley, '70s-'80s, and I would go over to S.F. to listen to jazz at the Keystone Corner.
The jazz greats would still go there to play because they liked the small club ambiance. You could go talk to them between sets and after the concert and everyone was very, very cool.
It was a sad day when they closed Keystone Corner down.
This year, we have lost a lot of jazz legends. Now, Oscar Peterson is added to that list. I first started getting into jazz trios with Oscar Peterson's "Night Train", "We Get Requests", and "West Side Story". It was the first time I heard a group swing intensely and quiet. My father always talks about Peterson's "Stratford Shakesperean Festival" record as the one that floored him. "52nd Street Theme" was something else. Oscar was huge influence on my father's playing and his trio records will be the standard in which excellence in the trio format will be compared. RIP, Oscar.
Jason Marsalis
Late to this thread, but had to add a comment.
We had an ongoing joke in my family about how my Dad 'discovered' Oscar Peterson. My Dad (died 10 years ago, RIP) volunteered for the Canadian navy in WW2. He was a radio operator in the Atlantic theatre, stationed mostly in Halifax and Montreal from 1941 to 1945. While in Montreal, he used to follow Oscar around from club to club. Oscar was making a name for himself in Montreal's jazz scene as a boogie woogie prodigy.
My Dad was a fan for the rest of his life, as was I. Oscar was never less than brilliant, and he kept up his high standard of musicianship even after he had a stroke in 1993. He was and is an icon in Canada - as loved and revered as any musician or artist in Canadian history.
Here's to Oscar, my late and dearly missed Dad, and C&L, for playing this.
Merry Christmas to every one of you, too.
I had the honor of shaking Oscar's hand once. Gracious, kind, elegant, and beyond talented. Thank you, Mr Peterson, for having come this way.
I was in a Bank of Montreal, I think, in Ottawa about 15 years ago. I was there for usual banking crap. It was odd that there was a grand piano in the middle of the main area - roped off as if Glen Gould was about to show up. Instead, Oscar appeared! I was amazed - and awed, by Canadian talent that doesn't depend on the US media to survive! Thanks, Oscar, for making my visit to the bank so memorable. And thanks for staying Canadian!!!
Way out here in Idaho we have a big secret. For 40 years the Univ. Idaho has presented a jazz festival, now named after the contagiously effervescent Lionel Hampton who brought so many of the great jazz artists to Moscow ID every February.
In 1981, before Hampton's patronage grew the festival exponentially, this little event held in the women's gym brought Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, and Ray Brown together for a concert that certainly made us forget the dreadful bleacher seating. I cried through the entire evening, feeling myself and the perhaps 200 other attendees to be the luckiest persons on the planet.
Oscar and Ella; a duet made in heaven, together again.
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