On the occasion of Oscar Peterson's centenary, Canada celebrates its jazz piano giant
Last week at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, the Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet and the National Arts Centre Orchestra presented Peterson's civil rights anthem Hymn to Freedom and the world premiere of a newly commissioned arrangement of Peterson's Trail of Dreams by bassist Mike Downes.
The concert kicked off a summer of shows − many in collaboration with the Peterson estate − that celebrate the great Canadian jazz pianist who was born in Montreal on Aug. 15, 1925, and died Dec. 23, 2007.
The Globe and Mail asked some of the musicians taking part in concerts, including Saturday's all-star gala at Toronto's Massey Hall, to talk about their favourite Peterson songs and albums.
National Arts Centre Orchestra bringing premieres, works by Oscar Peterson to Korea and Japan
My Foolish Heart (song from the 1963 studio album Oscar Peterson and Nelson Riddle, with orchestra arranged and conducted by Riddle): 'I grew up listening to Oscar Peterson, but years later I found the Oscar Peterson and Nelson Riddle album. It blew me away, especially the song My Foolish Heart. It made me want to record that song, on 2020's Surfboard. His restraint is beautiful − it's such a romantic soundscape. The use of space is breathtaking. When I heard it for the first time it made me fall in love with Oscar's music all over again." − Brandi Disterheft, bassist
Trail of Dreams: A Canadian Suite (2000 studio album, arranged by Michel Legrand): 'The compositions are beautiful and majestic, clearly outlining how Oscar felt about Canada. The suite was written after he suffered a stroke in 1993, and to my ears the compositions have a profound depth and meaning, perhaps in part due to this stage in his life, and the wisdom of a lifetime of performing and composing.' − Mike Downes, bassist
Buddy DeFranco and Oscar Peterson Play George Gershwin (1954 studio album, with clarinetist DeFranco, bassist Ray Brown, guitarist Herb Ellis and drummer Bobby White): 'The orchestra, conducted by Russ Garcia, plays such beautifully lush arrangements. The relationship between the orchestra and the two soloists is never competitive, it's stunningly complimentary. I also appreciate the bridge between a somewhat classical sound of the orchestra playing Gershwin and the swingin' and virtuosic solos from Peterson and DeFranco. This album is a masterclass in emotive playing and invites the audience into such mastery without any sort of elitism.' − Caity Gyorgy, singer
Nigerian Marketplace (Peterson composition from the 1981 live album of the same name, with bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted and drummer Terry Clarke): 'It's an eight-minute song that goes through many moods. It has a contemporary feel initially, but it shifts into something soul-orientated and groove-orientated. And then his solo is everything you could ever want in an Oscar Peterson solo. It isn't dance music per se, but it's so exciting. The band is right there with him, ramping up, though never feeling gratuitous. Everything they do is in service of the song. Yes, there is showmanship, but never at the expense of artistry.' – Laila Biali, pianist
Canadiana Suite (1965 album, composed by Peterson, recorded by the Oscar Peterson Trio, with bassist Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen): 'Not only was Oscar the greatest jazz pianist in terms of his groove and his blazing technical skills and his use of harmony, he was also a master composer and a master arranger. We get all of this with Canadiana Suite. But beyond that, it is evocative. I can see the Rocky Mountains on Land of the Misty Giants. And March Past evokes a parade at the Calgary Stampede. It starts quite softly. Then, in the middle of the song, it's just burning. It's all about a parade coming toward you and then marching past." − Mark McLean, drummer
West Side Story (1962 album by the Oscar Peterson Trio, with bassist Brown and drummer Thigpen): 'It's a side of Oscar not represented as much as his virtuosic side. Here he is beautiful, melodic and accessible. What's interesting is the way he creates melodies with harmonies. He's using every finger he can to build the melodies − it's so rich. There are times with Oscar you forget that it's only one person playing.' − Thompson Egbo-Egbo, pianist
Oscar Peterson centenary concerts
Asterisk denotes official Oscar Peterson Centennial concert.
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