John Curl's Blowtorch preamplifier part II

Status
Not open for further replies.
Oscar was one of those rare geniuses. I could compare him to other pianists (Bill Evans and Teddy Wilson come to mind) but that would be unfair both to Oscar and to those I compared him to. He wasn't great because he was "like" some other player, he was just great.

A friend of mine grew up in Montreal at the same time as Oscar, he likes to say "We went to different high schools together". When he was in high school they would go to dances and socials where the teen-aged Oscar Peterson would play.

The great Norman Granz did a wonderful radio documentary about Oscar, and told the story how when Oscar was getting known in Montreal there was a rich American businessman who came to the club where he played every weekend, and told the manager that he wanted to meet the amazing piano player. The manager obliged between sets and introduced Oscar to the American, and Oscar said "Pleased to meet you" and stuck out his hand to shake that of the other "gentleman". The American looked shocked, and said "I wanted to meet you, but I will never shake hands with a n*****", and that was Oscar Peterson's introduction to the big leagues.


Thanks for sharing. There are quite a few interviews with him on YouTube that give a fascinating glimpse into his persona. Humble guy I have to say - seems like he was an awesome human being.

When you look at early footage (back as far as late 50's) you can see how his playing matured. I definitely think he peaked in about 1985-1990. Unfortunately after he had a stroke, he could not play with his left hand. A few players remarked that OP with one hand was still better than most others with two hands.

🙂
 
Unfortunately after he had a stroke, he could not play with his left hand. A few players remarked that OP with one hand was still better than most others with two hands.

This was the case as well for Roland Kirk. I saw him maybe a dozen times before the stroke and once after. It was a sad event, we knew he wasn't going to be around long, but still, the music was there.
 

Attachments

  • Phoney.jpg
    Phoney.jpg
    68.1 KB · Views: 198
Status
Not open for further replies.