The Oscar Peterson Centennial

Born 100 years ago today, the great jazz pianist Oscar Peterson (1925-2007), a.k.a. “O.P.”

There was much to set Peterson apart from his contemporaries in the jazz field of his day.

First, he was not American. Like Guy Lombardo, he was Canadian, born and raised in Montreal to parents who were immigrants from the Caribbean. Straightaway this gave him a different cultural perspective than musicians who came up in places like New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, and New York. Second, he was classically trained from boyhood. Peterson was initially taught by his father and his sister Daisy Sweeney. He then received formal lessons from Paul de Marky, a Hungarian who had studied with István Thomán, a student of Liszt’s. Serious study of Bach and Rachmaninoff consumed him. He practiced 4-6 hours a day. But the new sounds of jazz were inescapable as well, and he was equally if not more influenced by the likes of James P. Johnson, Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, who led him to pursue boogie-woogie and swing.

Peterson was fifteen years old when he won a nationwide talent contest sponsored by the CBC in 1940. This opened all sorts of doors. He played on the radio and in dance halls with the Johnny Holmes Orchestra, and then formed his own trio. In 1949 he conquered New York when he played Carnegie Hall with Jazz at the Philharmonic. His recording career began in 1950; he was to release over 200 albums over the course of his life. It is not surprising to learn that Steve Allen was the first to book him for American television. Other variety programs he appeared on included The Nat King Cole Show, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Kraft Music Hall,The Danny Kaye Show, Della, and several specials with Ella Fitzgerald, with whom he frequently worked as an accompanist. Count Basie and Herbie Hancock were among the dozens of notable musicians he collaborated with.

Peterson was a big man (pushing 300 lbs) and by the early ’90s, health problems began to impinge on his ability to perform, although he did continue to teach, publish, and otherwise remain engaged in the music world. Kidney failure finally took him at age 82.

Peterson had four wives and seven children. The youngest of his offspring, manager and artist rep Céline Peterson is heading up centennial celebrations in her dad’s honor, including emceeing a concert tour by the Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet. Learn about that here.

For more on show biz history consult No Applause, Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, and stay tuned for my upcomingElectric Vaudeville: A Century of Radio and TV Variety.