He was a man that could make a piano roar as a lion, purr as a kitten, stomp like a bear and flutter like a butterfly all in the space of a few lines and yet never lose one iota of his superb sense of swing. Oscar Peterson possessed incomparable technical prowess and his easy to follow and flowing performances in some ways allowed his popularity as a pianist to eclipse that of his predecessors. Peterson was influenced, especially in his early career, by Nat King Cole, Count Basie, Teddy Wilson, James P Johnson, Errol Garner, and Art Tatum, it was just that diverse list of influences that spawned his unique way of melding together elements of Swing, Bop and Blues. Inexplicable and inexcusable is the fact that Oscar Peterson has been sometimes looked down on by staunch and stuffy jazz critics for not having a style all his own. Oscar Peterson was once referred to by Duke Ellington as the” Maharajah of the keyboard.” Peterson was one of most prolific major stars in jazz history, his recording career spanning nearly 60 years.

Oscar Peterson Peterson, Oscar Emmanuel composer, leader, pianist Born Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 8-15-1925 Died 12-23-2007

Rock-solid sense of swing, grounded in Count Basie, balanced by a delicacy of tone and fleetness of touch. Jazz transcriptions and sheet music download here.

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