Oscar Peterson is one of Canada's most honoured musicians. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. The first recipient of the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement, he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the International Jazz Hall of Fame.
Early years. Peterson was born in Montreal, Quebec, to immigrants from the West Indies; his father worked as a porter for Canadian Pacific Railway. Peterson grew up in the neighbourhood of Little Burgundy in Montreal.
Where did Oscar Peterson go to school?
The Royal Conservatory of Music
High School Of Montreal
Saint Peter's Anglican Church Cemetery
Art Tatum and especially Nat King Cole were important influences on Peterson's style. Like Cole's early trio, the Oscar Peterson Trio that first became popular featured piano, bass (Ray Brown), and guitar, most notably Herb Ellis (1953–58). When Ellis left the group, he was replaced by drummer Ed Thigpen (1959–65).
Commentator John McDonough remembers this night 50 years ago when a Canadian pianist named Oscar Peterson made his American debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City. We hear from the man who made it possible: jazz impresario Norman Granz.
Oscar originally played both trumpet and piano, but after a bad bout of tuberculosis focused his energy solely on the piano. He trained as a classical pianist, but his idol was legendary jazz pianist Art Tatum, who helped to steer him more towards swing and bebop.
Who is Oscar Peterson Dad?
Where did Oscar Peterson come from?
Peterson received many awards and honors, including the UNESCO International Music Prize, eight Grammy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy), the 1993 Glenn Gould Prize, and many more.
How old is Oscar Peterson?
In 1953, Nat King Cole said to Peterson, "I'll make a deal with you, Oscar. You don't sing and I won't play the piano." Peterson had just recorded his first album of vocals, accompanying himself on the piano. Peterson could overwhelm any style of jazz piano and he could swing harder than any other player.
