Jazz Pianist Oscar Peterson Dies At 82
Stellar jazz pianist and trumpet player Oscar Peterson, an eight-time Grammy award winner, died Sunday at the age of 82.
Oscar, renowned for his speed and virtuosity, died at his home in Mississauga, Ontario, from kidney failure.
Born in 1925 as the fourth of five children of a Canadian national railroad porter, Peterson began playing music at the age of five, first under the tutelage of his father, then under the guidance of Paul de Marky, a respected classical pianist from Hungary.
Growing up in Montreal’s poor, predominantly black Little Burgundy neighborhood in the 1920s and ’30s, Peterson was introduced to jazz music at an early age. At age 15, Peterson won first prize in a national radio talent show.
By 1942, Peterson was performing with one of Canada’s leading big bands, the Johnny Holmes Orchestra. He formed another classic piano-guitar-bass trio in the 1970s with guitarist Joe Pass and Danish-born bassist Niels Pedersen.
Known as a virtuoso piano improviser, Peterson was described as the “Best Damn Jazz Piano” player in the world.
On top of his technical and musical brilliance, Peterson was known for his left hand dexterity, his ability to spin creative, complex and clear streams of notes effortlessly with his accompanying hand.
Among the dozens of awards and acknowledgments over the decades, Peterson racked up eight Grammy Awards, including for Lifetime Achievement in 1997. He also received an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award in the same year and was named a Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest award of its kind.