Music Greats React To Loss Of Oscar Peterson

When a legend dies, there are simply no words to express the sorrow those who loved him feel. But colleagues remembering jazzman Oscar Peterson all say they were blessed to have known him, worked with him and in some cases, played with him.

Here’s a look at the reaction his passing has had on those across the country beginning with selected excerpts from a CityNews interview with Ross Porter, the president and CEO of JAZZ FM in Toronto.

On his Canadian roots

“I was proud to know him, proud that he was a Canadian and that he was frequently thought of that way. And it took us a while to figure it out as Canadians. The accolades came later in life for Oscar as a Canadian … And I know that was a bit of a pebble in his shoe for a number of years, but I think, toward the end, he finally shook that pebble out and felt a lot better about Canada … People often assumed that he had moved to Los Angeles or New York or lived outside of Canada. But he lived in Montreal and he lived in Toronto.”

On the price of fame

“I remember … him telling me that, you know, his fame came at a cost. I said, ‘what did you mean about that?’ And he said, ‘well the cost was my first family.’ And that’s one of the things that you carry with you, because I think we’ve all made sacrifices along the way for our careers … To hear Oscar say that was just something that stayed with me for years.”

On what made him special

“I remember going to his house the very first time. He lived in Mississauga. And it was an attractive-looking home. But a captain of business could have lived in it or, you know, someone else. And the thing that distinguished it from every other house, you didn’t realize until you got to the front door. And there in the front door, carved into the door was a carving of Art Tatum who as an influential pianist and Oscar’s single biggest influence. And once you saw that carving in his door, you realized someone special lived there.”

On his style

“It was based in the blues and it was based in a style known as stride. But he did much more than that. One of the things I keep remembering … was that when jazz was in its infancy, Oscar was in Montreal. He wasn’t in New York. He wasn’t part of the scene happening there with Charlie Parker and Bud Powell and Dizzy Gillespie. He was home in Montreal … That’s one of the reasons why he was unique. He was still listening to these other people but he wasn’t part of that scene and he developed a distinct style that was all his own.”

On his versatility

“The sentimentality of things was very important to him. And he could play a vast number of songs. He could certainly swing. He could swing when he played the piano. But he was also incredible playing incredibly romantic ballads that ached in their simplicity and their beauty.”

On the legends he played with

“One of the things you have to remember about Oscar is that he played with all of the greats. I think Sonny Rollins … is probably the last living giant. Oscar’s passing moves one step closer to that unfortunate situation that we will be in when all of the giants are gone, and Oscar played with them. He did sessions with Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Billie Holiday. Buddy DeFranco. His best friend was Ella Fitzgerald. I remember him telling me how empty his world felt after she passed. They would speak on a daily basis. And he ached because he didn’t have that closeness any more.”

Other greats remember

“As he began to find it more difficult to play I think there were moments that were hard for him. But he did make this remarkable comeback after his stroke. It’s really one of the great stories where he stopped playing and then his daughter said ‘daddy, you got to go back and play.’ He started playing with his right hand. His left hand was almost paralyzed at the beginning. Then he came back and started playing more all together, and there was a wonderful poetic quality to his music at the end which was just fantastic to listen to.”

Close friend and former Ont. Premier Bob Rae on Peterson’s remarkable comeback

“What can you say about playing with somebody who was such a giant, who made such a huge contribution to jazz piano? It was very challenging to play with him in many different ways. You know, I learned a lot from playing with him and it was great, what I would call on-the-job training … playing in a situation like that where you never know what’s going to happen from one moment to the next.”
Jazz guitarist Lorne Lofsky, who was part of Peterson’s quartet that played Carnegie Hall and toured Europe.

“He really put Montreal on the map of jazz.  I believe that on a grander scale, the impact he had on the black community and on the whole musical community was huge. He broke out of Canada. He’s one of the first people. We talk of Celine Dion and Shania Twain and Alanis Morissette and Bryan Adams. Oscar Peterson did what they did years ago as a black person. So what he’s done is incredible.”
Tracy Biddle, whose late father Charles was a close friend of Peterson’s and a pillar of the Montreal jazz community.

“He was one of the most amazing musicians I’ve ever heard in my life.” “I don’t think there’s ever been a pianist in jazz of the later generation who wasn’t influenced by him. Somebody once said that (Franz) Lizst conquered the piano and Chopin seduced it. Oscar is our Lizst.”
Gene Lees, Canadian jazz journalist and lyricist and author of the Peterson biography “The Will to Swing.”

“Toronto, Canada and the world has lost one of the true all-time greats of jazz … I extend my sympathies to his family and friends, and all those he and his music touched over the decades. Through that music, his spirit will live on.”

Mayor David Miller

“Oscar Peterson began playing the piano at age five and quickly evolved into a professional musician. He encountered racism throughout much of his life and even after a stroke in 1993 that disabled his left hand, he continued to record and travel throughout the world. I join all Ontarians in mourning the passing of one of our most talented, beloved, and cherished musicians but we also celebrate his life and the joy he has provided us over the decades with his illustrious music.”
David Onley, Lt. Gov. of Ontario

“I think the tough part for the family is this is a private loss, and yet I think they are going to have to realize over the next few days and weeks that it’s not just their loss, it’s also a very public loss for Canadians. That always becomes more difficult I think for the family… I’m sure they will be fine as time goes on, but because it is a celebration as well as a memorial of quite a remarkable life.”

Rae on what the family is going through

With files from the Canadian Press