This sure puts a dampener on a Christmas.. I don't know how to take this, but Oscar Petersen has passed away, aged 82.Oscar Peterson, a Canadian jazz pianist who earned many honours during his decades-long career, died Sunday in Mississauga, Ontario aged 82.Oscar Petersen was always the towering technician of Jazz that loomed large over the horizon. His improvisations were always perspicacious and beautiffully delineated. There was no hesitation in the technique and note-selection that was honed and crafted. My brother and I used to marvel at his inventiveness and prowess that were captured on record. his Gershwin songbook as well as his West Side Story song book left a lasting impression on me - and I'm just a gonzo guitar dude.
The Montreal-born Peterson learned to play piano in childhood and by the 1940s was actively performing in Canadian big bands such as the Johnny Holmes Orchestra. A groundbreaking performance at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1949 brought Peterson's career to an international level.
"The world has lost the world's greatest jazz player," Hazel McCallion, mayor of Mississauga and Peterson's friend said on Monday afternoon.
Among many honours, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour, in 1984. He also received seven Grammy Awards and in 1978 was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
"The minute we get to the sections where he's featured, I take no prisoners! I like to take liberties, and he's got to be right there to hear where I'm going. We still open doors in the improvisation for one another to develop."
He also loved the competitive nature of this kind of jazz and the unexpected pleasures that could emerge in live performances.
"There is always the chance for moments of great beauty to emerge," he said.
RIP Oscar. It's time to pull out his recordings again, methinks.
No comments:
Post a Comment