Canada’s King Of The Keyboard
Continuing with the theme of great Canadian jazz musicians for Black History month, legendary pianist Oscar Peterson is a must-tell story.
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was born on August 15, 1925 in the St. Henri district of Montreal, Quebec. Oscar was the 4th of 5 children born to parents who had immigrated from the West Indies. While not a wealthy family by any means, Oscar’s parents were somewhat strict with their children’s education. His father insisted that his children learn music as he did. Oscar originally picked up the trumpet at the young age of 5 but was forced to quit after a couple of years due to a year-long tuberculosis infection that damaged his lungs. (His eldest brother, Fred, actually died from the disease when he was just 16 years old.) Oscar then turned his sights to the piano.
Oscar had several teachers over his early years including his sisters but his first serious teacher came was when he turned 12. Louis Hooper, was a Canadian jazz musician who was a bit of a star in the Harlem jazz scene during the 1920’s. Already showing an extraordinary talent for the instrument, he began to study under Hungarian pianist Paul de Marky a couple of years later. de Marky was formerly a student of the extraordinary composer, Franz Liszt.
At the age of 14, Oscar won an amateur contest put on by the CBC and began playing regularly on radio and television. He became a member of the otherwise white Johnny Holmes Orchestra and was later persuaded to drop out of high school by classmate, Maynard Ferguson and to join his brother’s band. (I’m not sure why we don’t have Maynard Ferguson stamps yet but I will be contacting Canada Post about that oversight very soon!)
To say that Oscar Peterson’s career exploded is an understatement. From 1945 to 1949, Oscar’s trio recorded several albums for Victor Records. Norman Granz heard Oscar’s music while riding in a cab and immediately went to find this young virtuoso. He signed Peterson to a contract and became his manager.
Oscar Peterson’s discography is huge and his career had him playing all over the world with the greatest jazz musicians of all time. Duke Ellington dubbed him the “Maharaja of the keyboard”. Others called him the “brown bomber of boogie-woogie” as a nod to his incredible skills in that style of playing. While he certainly dealt with racism in Canada, he was shocked by what he experienced in the US. One of his songs, “Hymn To Freedom” became a key song in the civil rights movement. But despite it all, he stayed loyal to his home country and always made his home in Canada.
In his teens, Oscar began to suffer from chronic arthritis which became a bigger problem as he grew older. His weight would also become an issue as would his smoking. He had a stroke in 1993 which limited him somewhat. He would pass away in 2007 of kidney failure at his home in Mississauga, Ontario just two years after his 80th birthday. He left behind 7 children.
Oscar Peterson was no doubt one of Canada’s biggest stars. A brilliant documentary better summarizing his career called “Oscar: Black + White” was released in 2020 and is a must-watch. And his music is never out of style!
The Oscar Peterson 50 cent definitive was issued on August 15, 2005 in honor of his 80th birthday. It was printed by Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd. The photo was taken by Gilbert Duclos and was designed by Tiit Telmet. Just 2 years before, Austria actually put out the first Oscar Peterson stamp. The 1.25 Euro stamp celebrates Oscar’s love of Austrian piano maker, Bosendorfer. He played almost exclusively on these magnificent instruments. Their website lists an incredible number of top musicians who do or have played their pianos. One of those names is Franz Liszt who taught one of Oscar’s teachers which may help explain his affinity for Bosendorfers. (According to Wikipedia, one name that’s missing from Bosendorfer’s list of fans is Dr. Evil of Austin Powers fame but I have yet to check out that Easter egg for myself!)
Grammy Awards
- 1975 Best Jazz Performance by a Group The Trio
- 1977 Best Jazz Performance by a Soloist The Giants
- 1978 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist Oscar Peterson Jam – Montreux ’77
- 1979 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist Oscar Peterson and The Trumpet Kings – Jousts
- 1990 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group Live at the Blue Note
- 1990 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist The Legendary Oscar Peterson Trio Live at the Blue Note
- 1991 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group Saturday Night at the Blue Note
- 1997 Lifetime Achievement Award Instrumental Soloist Lifetime Achievement
Other awards
- Pianist of the year, DownBeat magazine, 1950, and won again for the next 12 years
- Order of Canada, Officer, 1972; Companion, 1984
- Canadian Music Hall of Fame, 1978
- Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award, Black Theatre Workshop, 1986
- Roy Thomson Award, 1987
- Toronto Arts Award for lifetime achievement, 1991
- Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, 1992
- Order of Ontario, member 1992
- Glenn Gould Prize, 1993
- International Society for Performing Artists award, 1995
- Loyola Medal of Concordia University, 1997
- Praemium Imperiale World Art Award, 1999
- Oscar Peterson Concert Hall named at Concordia University, 1999
- UNESCO Music Prize, 2000
- Toronto Musicians’ Association Musician of the Year, 2001
- SOCAN Special Achievement Award, 2008
- Canada’s Walk of Fame, 2013
- Canadian Jazz and Blues Hall of Fame
- Juno Award Hall of Fame
- BBC Radio Lifetime Achievement Award
- National Order of Quebec, Chevalier
- Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France
- Civic Award of Merit, City of Mississauga, 2003
- Oscar Peterson Theatre, Canadian Embassy, Tokyo, Japan, 2007
- Oscar Peterson Hall, University of Toronto Mississauga, 2008
- Oscar Peterson Public School, Stouffville, 2009
- Statue of Oscar Peterson unveiled in Ottawa by Queen Elizabeth II, 2010
- Historica Canada Heritage Minute, 2021[45]
- Honorary degrees from Berklee College of Music, Carleton University, Queen’s University, Concordia University, Université Laval, McMaster University, Mount Allison University, Niagara, Northwestern, University of Toronto, University of the West Indies, University of Western Ontario, University of Victoria, and York University
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Peterson
- https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/oscar-peterson
- https://canadianmusichalloffame.ca/inductee/oscar-peterson/
- https://postagestampguide.com/stamps/17614/oscar-peterson-2005-canada-postage-stamp
- https://www.boesendorfer.com/en
