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Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson is one of the greatest piano players of all
time, Oscar Peterson’s
career as a jazz pianist has spanned over six decades through which he has played
with, and come to know, many of the genre’s greatest contributors. A pianist with phenomenal technique on the
level of his idol, Art Tatum, Peterson’s speed, dexterity and ability to
swing at any tempo has  long been
amazing. Very effective in small groups, jam sessions and in accompanying
singers, Oscar is at his best when performing unaccompanied solos.
Peterson has been criticized through the years because he uses so many notes,
has not evolved much since the 1950s, and has recorded a remarkable number of
albums. Perhaps it is because critics ran out of favourable adjectives to use
early in his career; certainly it can be said that Peterson plays 100 notes
when other pianists might use ten, but all 100 usually fit, and there is
nothing wrong with showing off technique when it serves the music. 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. Because
he was Norman Granz's favourite pianist (along with Tatum) and the producer
tended to record some of his artists excessively, Peterson has made an
incredible number of albums. Not all are essential, and a few are routine,
but the great majority are quite excellent, and there are dozens of classics.
Oscar Peterson started classical piano lessons when he was six and developed
quickly. After winning a talent show at 14, he began starring on a weekly
radio show in Montreal. Peterson picked up early experience as a teenager
playing with Johnny Holmes' Orchestra. From 1945-49, he recorded 32
selections for Victor in Montreal. 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. 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.
Norman Granz discovered Peterson in 1949 and soon presented him as a surprise
guest at Jazz at the Philharmonic concert. 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's talents were quite obvious, and
he became a household name in 1952 when he formed a trio with guitarist
Barney Kessel and Brown. Kessel tired of the road and was replaced by Herb
Ellis the following year. The Peterson-Ellis-Brown Trio, which often toured
with JATP, was one of  jazz's great
combos from 1953-58. Their complex yet swinging arrangements were competitive
— Ellis and Brown were always trying to outwit and push the pianist — and
consistently exciting. 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. In contrast to the earlier
group, the Peterson-Brown-Thigpen Trio.
With the
inclusion of Ed Thigpen, "the thinking man's drummer" a whole new
trio is born, one where Oscar Peterson can play the way he plays. He
describes this time as "...six years of unbelievable music."
In 1960, Oscar, Ray, Ed,
Butch Watanabe and composer Phil Nimmons opened the Advanced School of
Contemporary Music in Toronto, Ontario. The school is successful and a dream
come true for Oscar however financial difficulties forced the doors to close
after only three years of operation. During 1962 Oscar and the trio faced one
of the industries most grueling recording and touring schedules that resulted
in the production of seven studio and four live albums within the year. His
friends and critics alike wonder how they survived the work load.
In 1964
Oscar's first major composition, Canadiana Suite, was released. And it was
during this time when Oscar was invited to play a private engagement for Hans
Georg Brunner-Schwer, a German millionaire with a passion for jazz music and
audio recording technology. A relationship developed between the two, despite
the language barrier between them, and Oscar returned to record in Germany
with Hans Georg several times during this time. Some of the best recordings
of Oscar's work, both with the trio and as a soloist, would result from these
intimate sessions. In 1965, Ed Thigpen, tired of life on the road, decides to
leave the trio and then later that year, Ray Brown decides to leave the
hectic road schedule behind also.
Peterson made his first recorded set of unaccompanied piano
solos in 1968 during his highly rated series of MPS recordings. With the formation
of the Pablo label by Granz in 1972, Peterson was often teamed with guitarist
Joe Pass and bassist Niels Pedersen. He appeared on dozens of all-star
records, made five duet albums with top trumpeters (Dizzy Gillespie, Roy
Eldridge, Harry "Sweets" Edison,Terry Clark and Jon Faddis)
and teamed up with Count Basie on several two-piano dates. An underrated
composer, Peterson wrote and recorded the impressive "Canadiana
Suite" in 1964 and has occasionally performed originals in the years
since. Although always thought of as a masterful acoustic pianist, Peterson
has also recorded on electric piano, organ on rare occasions, and even
clavichord for an odd duet date with Joe  Pass. One
of his rare vocal sessions in 1965, With Respect to Nat, reveals that
Peterson's singing voice was nearly identical to Nat King Cole's.
A two-day reunion with Herb Ellis and Ray Brown in 1990 (which also included
Bobby Durham) resulted in four CDs. Peterson was felled by a serious stroke
in 1993 that knocked him out of action for two years. Since then, he has
gradually returned to the scene, although his left hand has been weakened.
But even when he is not 100%, Oscar Peterson remains a classic improviser. In 1997 he received a Grammy for
Lifetime Achievement and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award, proof that
Oscar Peterson is still regarded as one of the greatest jazz musicians ever
to play.
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