Canada is not the least ranked among countries that have produced renowned music artists. The government has birthed notable music legends that left their mark on history and impacted millions of people with their lifestyle, songs, and philosophy.
One of these notable music legends is Oscar Peterson, a renowned jazz pianist. To many, he is the most successful jazz artist produced by Canada, with over 200 albums spanning six decades and numerous awards to his credit. Indeed, Oscar Peterson is worthy of our mention and should serve as an emulation by upcoming piano professionals.
Read about the success story of David Foster, one of Canada's music legends!
You could learn a lot from his successes and failures during his time as a top jazz pianist. Perhaps, his biography will inspire you never to give up on your career pursuits and thirst for fame and recognition. Enjoy reading.
Birth and Family
Oscar Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist who gained fame for his ability to play the piano exceptionally using various styles. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, on 15 August 1925. He died at 82 on 23 December 2007 at his home in Mississauga, Ontario.
His father, Charles Joseph Peterson, was a railway porter with the Canadian Pacific Railway and his mother, Gertrude Mary Peterson (née Doyle), was a teacher. His parents were strict disciplinarians, and his father was an amateur organist that led the family band in churches and concerts. The family lived at 70 St-Urbain Street West in Montreal.
According to many, Oscar was one of the few jazz pianists born with a rare talent and exceptional ability on the piano. However, many critics find his power overwhelming and his high speed on the piano too good to be true.
Yet, many critics claimed he may not be the best because his piano mainly played by drowning out expression, as most musical statements were not communicated by his performance.
Growing Up
Oscar was raised in a poor neighborhood and was the fourth of five children. The young Oscar played the piano early on Montreal's Jewish community streets. Through his parents' records, he learned to play by ear and imitate artists such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Louis Armstrong. He also learned to play other instruments, such as clarinet, trumpet, saxophone, and trombone.
In the 1920s, Louis Hooper, a classically trained Canadian musician, taught him the piano at 12. After that, piano teachers from diverse backgrounds taught Peterson during his youth and adolescence. Following that, Peterson studied at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal. Finally, Paul de Marky, the Hungarian concert pianist whose tradition Franz Liszt followed, taught him the piano at 14. As he grew and became fond of the piano, he drew inspiration from famous pianists, and these philosophies shaped his career later on.
Oscar battled tuberculosis at age eight (a disease that took his elder brother's life at 16). While growing up, Oscar enjoyed mentorship from his sister, who became his assistant for a time. Aside from that, Oscar was also a classmate of trumpet player Maynard Ferguson. Their brother, Percy, led a dance band where they played together.
Peterson's brothers, who were also musicians, played with him on various recordings. They are listed as follows:
- Ralph Peterson (1923–1994) - trumpet and flugelhorn
- Roy Peterson (1924–2015) - clarinet, alto saxophone, and tenor saxophone
Ralph was the youngest of the three brothers; he participated in the recording of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" with his brother Oscar and Art Tatum on drums. In addition, he was a member of the Montreal Jazz Band during its live performances at The Famous Door from 1958 to 1973.
In 1949, Oscar performed with Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington at Carnegie Hall. Ella was a famous jazz singer who had recorded many albums of jazz standards and popular songs. Ellington was a famous composer who wrote music for films, television shows, and Broadway plays.
Early Career life
At 14, Oscar won the first noble prize of $250 in a contest sponsored by Ken Soble, a popular radio personality. Shortly after the contest, Oscar commenced his weekly radio show, which he called "Fifteen Minutes Piano Rambling," aired on the Montreal station CKAC. By 1945, he was featured on the CBC's popular music show.
As Oscar won the heart of many through music, he also revealed more of his classical background. As a teen, his progress was so applaudable that even his chronic arthritis couldn't stop him from reaching for the stars at the early start of his career.
Aside from that, while growing up, he received several requests from Count Basie and Jimmie Lunceford to move to the US and join their bands. But Oscar's parents had doubts and felt he was too young to live alone in another country.
At 17, Oscar dropped out of high school to pursue a full-time career in music. He found solace as a featured soloist in Jonny Holmes's white dance band between 1943 to 1947. Again, his parents were skeptical about this new development. But they couldn't stop him this time. His father only advised that if he must leave school to pursue music, he must not just be a music artist but the best among his peers.
Personal life
Despite his love for family life and a happy home, his wishes were never meant in this regard as he struggled to find happiness and love in the woman he married without success. Oscar was married four times and had seven children with three of these women.
He smoked pipe and cigarettes for many years, which later became his lifelong habit. Although he tried to stop the habit but gained weight almost immediately, he gave up quitting.
Oscar's Achievement
Oscar was one of the few jazz pianists that recorded success throughout his lifetime. From his childhood to his early 80s, he enjoyed many awards and recognition that made him become a famous mentor to millions of piano enthusiasts globally. He got his first music teacher at age five and later studied under saxophonist Charlie Shavers at the Toronto Conservatory of Music. In 1949 he performed with Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington on stage; this was one year after they recorded their album "The Big Band Years" together (originally released as two separate albums).
This collaboration led to many other performances over the years, both live at concerts or records sold separately from each other on cd discographies such as Ella and Oscar Live! Or The Complete Hot Club De France Recordings 1959-1963 by Various Artists, including Louis Armstrong, etcetera.
Life as a Composer and Teacher
Oscar was one of the few famous pianists who improvised and professionally taught piano in Canada. Oscar started at the Advanced School of Contemporary Music in Toronto, Canada, during the 1960s. But it was short-lived due to lack of proper funding.
After that, he moved to the Jazz program at York University, where he became a chancellor in the early 1990s. Oscar had hundreds of students and mentees during his days as a chancellor. Little wonder why he became an honorary governor of the school in 1995.
During this time, he established the Oscar Peterson Jazz Research Center at the School of Fine Arts at York University. Many became famous pianists decades later and left their mark on history. Among these students were Oliver Jones and Benny Green. He also published some jazz pieces and exercises in the 1960s before he finally opted into the academic setting in the 1990s.
Late Career Life
As he aged, Oscar received more recognition and awards for his selflessness in promoting the course of piano music in Canada. And this marked the onset of his late career life, which began in 1990. That year witnessed four releases of his outstanding performances.
In 1993, his ability to use his left hand was reduced as he suffered a severe stroke. But still, the ailment couldn't stop him from recording and performing, although he spent several hours in therapy before bracing up for each concert performance. As a result of these strokes, he suffered from psychological trauma as he managed to use his right hand to do most of the jobs reserved for his left hand on the piano. Have you read about Leonard Cohen?
Until his death, Oscar lived on the city outskirts with his fourth wife, Celine. And he recorded many successes as a concert pianist years after his first stroke, although with a less stringent schedule than before. He played with other musicians after his stroke and even recorded a live performance ten years after called A Night in Vienna in 2003. He continued his performance through 2006. In 2007, due to severe ill health, Oscar cancelled a scheduled performance and was bedridden for a while as he could no longer play the piano publicly with his band.
Oscar Peterson died of kidney failure on 23 December 2007. He died in his home in Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto.
Final Thought
Oscar Peterson was an influential jazz musician. The Canadian jazz musician, who died in 2007 at 82, was known for his smooth solo playing, and he worked with some of the most excellent musicians of his era.
See how Justin Beiber reached his present fame and stardom.
Did you like this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
