Oscar Peterson...one of the greats..

[LouieB]

Another one of the world's great musicans, Oscar Peterson died today at 82. Peterson had incredible technique and speed on piano and played with all the greats. He was pretty much the house pianist at both Clef/Verve records in the 50s and 60s and then held a similar position as both an accompanist and a leader at Pablo in the 70s and 80s.

 

I was lucky enough to see him twice, once in the early 80s I think and then in the early 90s after suffering a stroke. Both performances were amazing. He made hundreds of records during his career. Most everything he did was both amazing and enjoyable. Here is the NY Times info.

 

LouieB

[mountain bed]

I JUST heard this on the evening news. Oscar was one of the real heavyweights - one of the few who was a joy to listen to no matter what head space you were in.

 

Farewell to the "Maharajah of the Keyboards". He will be missed.

[LouieB]

Yea, it must have just happened this afternoon or evening. This happens all the time but for some reason this really upsets me.

 

LouieB

[M. (hristine]

Really been digging the hell out of this album the last couple of days:

 

 

Very sad news.

[Hodie]

I adore Oscar Peterson's playing and listen to Trio recordings all the time. I once tried to learn Night Train using his transcription. My pathetic skills meant it was hopelessly out of my reach, but it was worth trying anyway.

[embiggen]

Jonathan Schwartz is probably very upset about this.

[moxiebean]

This upsets me, too - one of the last mid-century jazz greats is gone... is anybody left?

[So Long]

Nighttrain is in my top 5 favorite jazz albums of all time. He will be missed.

[LouieB]

This upsets me, too - one of the last mid-century jazz greats is gone... is anybody left?

There are a few, depending on what you call mid-century, but clearly Oscar may be the last of the great mainstream jazz figures to go.

 

LouieB

[Reni]

I was at one of my best friends' house yesterday and her husband came in and said, "Oscar Peterson passed away, isn't your Nanny (grandma) out of the country? She will be so upset." And my friend was really sad to hear the news, as well. Apparently, her grandmother and Oscar Peterson were very good friends.

 

Very sad news, indeed.

[dmait]

>is anybody left?

 

Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner.

[Twisted Acres]

Very sad news indeed.

 

Sir Duke probably just fired his piano player up there, and dusted off the seat for Oscar.

[LouieB]

>is anybody left?

 

McCoy Tyner.

McCoy is 13 years younger than Oscar was, but he certainly is getting up there....there are many musicians still around of McCoy's generation. Certainly Sonny is one of the elder statesmen of jazz at this point, particularly with the death of Max Roach a few months back.

 

LouieB

[mountain bed]

Lou, I turned my friend Alan onto your GloNo article yesterday. He was mightily impressed.

[LouieB]

Lou, I turned my friend Alan onto your GloNo article yesterday. He was mightily impressed.

Thanks, man!! Don't hesitate to post up with stuff you agree or disagree with. This way the Glono folks know someone actually is reading this shit....

 

I got to thinking about the above comment regarding McCoy Tyner. Oscar Peterson was already a well established performer when McCoy was coming up. Oscar played mainstream/swing type material and McCoy was a progressive/modern/whatever you want to call him type of player;(nearly avant guard at times) quite different than what Peterson was playing. If you consider him the next generation, there are certainly lots of folks still very alive from his generation, including the Herbie Hancock/Wayne Shorter crowd, all of whom are now in their 60s (gawd we are getting old fast...) Likewise Sonny Rollins was a "hard-bop" player in his youth. It is amazing how a few years and a slightly different attitude created entirely different schools of jazz. Oscar Peterson, a mainstay with the Jazz at the Philarmonic crowd, could play be-bop and all, but much of what he did was closer to the Teddy Wilson type swing groove or even more closely, the Art Tatum school of cover the keyboard completely with as many notes as possible and as fast as possible. All of it is amazing to me, but McCoy took more cues from a guy like Cecil Taylor than he did Art Tatum.

 

LouieB

[dmait]

Louie - Great comments about McCoy, my all-time favorite on the keys. I mentioned him more as an "elder statesman," not as a similar stylist as OP, and I guess you and others are correct than he is not of OP's generation.

 

Is Hank Jones still around? I know he recorded an album with Joe Lovano this year.

 

And nice job keeping jazz alive on this site. Fans of Wilco and any other kind of even relatively improvisational music just need a little exposure to jazz to make the leap.

[LouieB]

Louie - Great comments about McCoy, my all-time favorite on the keys. I mentioned him more as an "elder statesman," not as a similar stylist as OP, and I guess you and others are correct than he is not of OP's generation.

 

Is Hank Jones still around? I know he recorded an album with Joe Lovano this year.

 

And nice job keeping jazz alive on this site. Fans of Wilco and any other kind of even relatively improvisational music just need a little exposure to jazz to make the leap.

Thanks man..make sure you read my article on GloNo and post up. (see my signature.) While GloNo changed the name of the article slightly, it is short and opinionated......so feel free to venture an opinion.

 

Joe Lovano is one of the greatest young jazz artists ever. (Young by some standards anyway and from Cleveland.) I have seen him a couple times and he tears it up. Hank Jones does appear to still be alive and is nearing 90.

 

The Jazz Showcase in Chicago is scheduled to reopen in the south Loop after the first of the year. This is great news for us here in Chicago. They bring in the cream of the national crop. I saw McCoy there several times back in the late 70s. One night his finger started to bleed and he just kept playing, getting blood all over the keys.

 

I think it is hard to get into jazz now than it was, since there are far fewer opportunities to see it compared to the opportunities to see indie rock. I saw Sonny Rollins a couple times at a small club in Evanston and other pretty famous folks at other clubs (back when clubs had seats...). Sadly there were so many I didn't see.

 

Even after his stroke, Peterson still was a force to be reckonned with. His passing only reinforces the need to see this generation of musicians since they won't be around forever. Even those as young as Joe Lovona , who at the ripe young age of 55 is still far older than your average indie rock figure, Heck, Herbie Hancock is 67. The young lions are even middle aged; Wynton Marsalis is 46 and Marcus Roberts is 44, Kenny Garrett is 47.

 

Oh and someone off the top of my head who is still alive and certainly of Peterson's generation....Clark Terry. Someone of McCoy's age group, Pharoh Sanders is still excellent and also Sam Rivers (2 years older than Peterson) is still very avant in his approach.

 

LouieB

[mountain bed]

I dunno if you could call them 'young lions' at this point, but many of the Trane-influenced avant-jazz guys are still alive: Roscoe Mitchell, David Murray, Anthony Braxton etc. I think Henry Threadgill is still kickin' - I saw him with Very Very Circus maybe 10 years ago and it was pretty great. I never got to see Lester Bowie though.

[LouieB]

I dunno if you could call them 'young lions' at this point, but many of the Trane-influenced avant-jazz guys are still alive: Roscoe Mitchell, David Murray, Anthony Braxton etc. I think Henry Threadgill is still kickin' - I saw him with Very Very Circus maybe 10 years ago and it was pretty great. I never got to see Lester Bowie though.

RIP Lester...I saw him many times during the 70s and 80s.

 

A few years back after not seeing the AACMers I was shocked at how they had aged (as we all have). When I first started seeing them they were relatively young men and then one day I saw Malachi Favors play and he looked so old, as did George Lewis, Douglas Ewart and Roscoe Mitchell at various times. After Malachi died I attended a memorial concert and the remaining members of the Art Ensemble looked so different. I figured part of the reason Malachi did look so old was he was ill, but then at the memorial concert I realized he was in his 70s when he died.

Both Joseph Jarman and Roscoe Mitchell were grey,as was Don Moye, the youngster of the group. Muhal Richard Abrams is still out there kicking at 77 however. He was nearly the same age as Malachi, but always appeared older. I have not seen Braxton for some years. I remember Threadgill in the earlier days too. Haven't seen him in years. Most of that generation and the one that followed left Chicago in the 80s.

 

Even the other night when I saw Ed Wilkerson, who was a mere kid when he started playing with AACM groups (and still lives in Chicago) is mature. Okay enough of this maudlin talk....

 

LouieB

[LouieB]

Interestingly enough i found a copy of Night Train yesterday at Laurie's in the used bin for $7. One of the nice extended remastered reissues. I had not really known about this disk so thanks to those who turned me on to it here.

 

LouieB