Mccoy Tyner
The Jazz Piano Genius of Oscar Peterson
From his early love of music to his last years, Oscar Peterson’s life was full with accomplishments and support from his family. The decision to become a professional pianist led to a weekly radio show and many performances in hotels and music halls for Peterson.
Although his life ended at the age of 82, Oscar Peterson had an extremely productive musical career in jazz that ended too quickly. Named Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, he was born on August 15, 1925, in Canada. As a child growing up in Canada, he and his family lived in a predominantly black neighborhood called Little Burgundy in Montreal.
Because of his surroundings, Peterson was largely influenced by jazz music, which was extremely popular during this era. Peterson started playing and perfecting the art of the trumpet and piano at age five. However, tuberculosis caused him to stop playing the trumpet and focus primarily on his gift for piano playing. To develop his extraordinary skills, Peterson practiced scales and classical eludes every single day. His daily routine consisted of four to six hours of solid practice time a day.
Studying with pianist Paul de Marky helped further refine his talents. Peterson soon began to concentrate on jazz, ragtime and boogie-woogie music. Because of his newfound interest in emerging music types, he was nicknamed “The Brown Bomber of the Boogie Woogie.”
By nine years old, Peterson’s collaboration list was growing quickly. At fourteen years old, he won the national music competition hosted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. However, his next life-changing decision proved controversial yet life-changing. Peterson decided to drop out of school and to become a professional pianist. The decision to become a professional pianist led to a weekly radio show and many performances in hotels and music halls for Peterson.
Oscar Peterson listed many of his personal influences in the musical spectrum. These influences included Nat King Cole, Teddy Wilson, James P. Johnson and Art Tatum.
After being heard on a radio broadcast, Oscar Peterson joined Norman Granz’s recording label called Verve. Quickly, Peterson was assigned to Granz’s “Jazz at the Philharmonic” project. This project included work with major artists and musicians including Ray Brown, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Milt Jackson, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, Ed Thigpen, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, Louis Armstrong, Stephane Grappelli, Ella Fitzgerald, Clark Terry, Joe Pass, Anita O’Day, Fred Astaire, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz.
From this point on, Oscar Peterson would be acclaimed for his genius work with his craft of jazz piano. His reputation grew, and he soon was a major celebrity in the spotlight. In the 1940′s, Canadian Radio hosted Peterson as a regular on many jazz programs.
By the 1950′s, Oscar Peterson was a household name all over the world. He was labeled one of the leading pianists in jazz music.
His greatest asset after his unique, exceptional playing technical ability was his versatility. Peterson played in numerous duets, quartets, solos, trios, small bands and big bands. In the 1950′s, Peterson collaborated with Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner. Duos with Herbie Hancock occurred in the 1980′s. Performances in the 1980′s through the 1990′s often featured his protege Benny Green.
In 1993, Peterson suffered a stroke. Fortunately for the world, he recovered quickly. By 1995, Peterson returned to the world of musical performance.
In a tribute to his beloved friend and associate Norman Granz, Peterson named his dog Smedley two years before his untimely death. Smedley was Granz’s nickname from Peterson.
Like the original Smedley, the dog Smedley had a great attachment and devotion to Peterson. Even at Peterson’s death, the beloved and loving dog stayed at Peterson’s side by his bed, refusing to leave him. Peterson died of renal failure on December 27, 2007, but his music lives on in countless jazz recordings.
About the Author
Duane Shinn is the author of the popular online newsletter on piano chords, available free at “Exciting Piano Chords & Chord Progressions!”
McCoy Tyner – Giant Steps
|
|
Jazz Casual – John Coltrane [VHS] $6.90 It might not seem like much: 30 minutes, three tunes, four musicians on a bare-bones soundstage. But this is John Coltrane, and any opportunity to see the legendary saxophonist at work is something to be savored. That’s especially true with this January 1964 television performance. Some five years after his membership in Miles Davis’s immortal Kind of Blue group, he was well past playing the usua… |
|
|
Playboy Jazz Festival Volume 1 $79.99 Since it’s beginnings in 1979, the Playboy Jazz Festival has rapidly grown into a major international event. Each year now, the Hollywood Bowl is host to the greatest names in jazz as they gather for an all-out celebration of music’s most honest, free, and spontaneous form of expression. Here, in all their brilliance and diversity, are the true leaders in their field – artists like Lionel Hampton,… |
|
|
Live Warsaw 91 [VHS] $19.95 … |
|
|
Jazz Icons: John Coltrane Live in ’60, ’61 & ’65 $12.92 As Ashley Kahn points out in his informative liner notes, there aren’t many visual recordings of jazz giant John Coltrane in circulation–or, possibly, in existence. In capturing the saxophonist in three different phases in his too-brief career, this installment in the inestimable Jazz Icons video series performs a valuable service. The 92-minute DVD includes a 1960 performance in Dusseldorf, Germ… |
|
|
John Coltrane: Impressions of Coltrane $10.17 NTSC/Region 0. The great Jazzman John Coltrane in nine rare, live television performances, shot in the late 1950′s and the early 1960′s. In dazzling extended solos, showcasing his trademark ‘sheets of sound,’ Coltrane demonstrates his mastery of tenor, alto, and soprano saxes and the unique artistry he brought to innovations in Jazz – and in music as a whole. This collection has both breadth and d… |
|
|
McCoy Tyner: Suddenly – Live at the Warsaw Jamboree Jazz Festival 1991 $5.78 All products are BRAND NEW and factory sealed. Fast shipping and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed…. |
|
|
A Love Supreme $4.93 Comes in digipak…. |
|
|
My Favorite Things $6.07 This 1960 recording was a landmark album in John Coltrane’s career, the first to introduce his quartet with pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones and the first release on which he played soprano saxophone. It also provided him with a signature hit, as his new group conception came together wonderfully on the title track. It’s an extended modal reworking in 6/4 time that brought the hypnotic … |
|
|
Speak No Evil $3.96 SHORTER WAYNE SPEAK NO EVIL… |
|
|
The McCoy Tyner Collection: Piano Transcriptions (Jazz Giants) $8.00 Transcriptions for a dozen tunes: Fly with the Wind ? Folks ? For Tomorrow ? High Priest ? Island Birdie ? Just in Time ? La Habana Sol ? Man from Tanganyika ? Prelude to a Kiss ? Senor Carlos ? Theme for Nana ? You Stepped Out of a Dream…. |
