![\"08-01-02](\"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/08-01-02-LISTN-Envoie-for-Oscar-Peterson-pic-2.jpg\")
<\/a>Christ\u00admas in Cana\u00adda was sad\u00addened by the death of Oscar Peter\u00adson, who is acknowl\u00adedged by many as one of the great\u00adest of our coun\u00adtry\u00admen. Dur\u00ading his immense\u00adly pro\u00adduc\u00adtive life\u00adtime, Oscar exem\u00adpli\u00adfied every\u00adthing that Cana\u00addi\u00adans tend to admire: calm, equi\u00adlib\u00adrium, gen\u00adtle good humour, an inate and effort\u00adless democ\u00adracy, a com\u00adplete lack of pom\u00adpos\u00adity and chest-beat\u00ading, com\u00adbined with a delight in life and plea\u00adsure, and an exact pre\u00adci\u00adsion in exe\u00adcu\u00adtion. Every flash of fin\u00adgers on the key\u00adboard was like a Gret\u00adsky goal. In oth\u00ader words, he was the com\u00adplete oppo\u00adsite of what mod\u00adern con\u00adsumer cul\u00adture ele\u00advates as virtues. As long as we had him with us, per\u00adhaps, we could not be entire\u00adly corrupted.<\/span><\/p>\nChrist\u00admas in Cana\u00adda was sad\u00addened by the death of Oscar Peter\u00adson, who is acknowl\u00adedged by many as one of the great\u00adest of our coun\u00adtry\u00admen. Dur\u00ading his immense\u00adly pro\u00adduc\u00adtive life\u00adtime, Oscar exem\u00adpli\u00adfied every\u00adthing that Cana\u00addi\u00adans tend to admire: calm, equi\u00adlib\u00adrium, gentle \u2026<\/p>\n![\"08-01-02](\"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/08-01-02-LISTN-Envoie-for-Oscar-Peterson-pic-4.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span>The son of a Cana\u00addian Pacif\u00adic Rail\u00adway porter, Peter\u00adson grew up in the Lit\u00adtle Bur\u00adgundy neigh\u00adbour\u00adhood of Mon\u00adtreal. It was a pre\u00addom\u00adi\u00adnantly black neigh\u00adbour\u00adhood that was filled with music, both clas\u00adsi\u00adcal and jazz. His musi\u00adcal fam\u00adily encour\u00adaged him in a clas\u00adsi\u00adcal train\u00ading, and he stud\u00adied with Paul de Marky, a stu\u00addent of Franz Liszt. He was psy\u00adcho\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcally a per\u00adfec\u00adtion\u00adist, and prac\u00adticed four to six hours a day, even in ear\u00adly child\u00adhood. By the age of four\u00adteen, his aston\u00adish\u00ading vir\u00adtu\u00ados\u00adity had led him to win a nation\u00adal radio com\u00adpe\u00adti\u00adtion. His strongest influ\u00adences includ\u00aded Art Tatum, Bach, Rach\u00admani\u00adnov, Nat \u201cKing\u201d Cole, Ted\u00addy Wil\u00adson, and, most notably, his own sis\u00adter, a music teacher who nur\u00adtured sev\u00aderal Cana\u00addian jazz stars. He was at his great\u00adest strength in trios, an art\u00adform which he per\u00adfected with the Ray Brown and Herb Ellis, with Ray Brown and Char\u00adlie Smith, and with vir\u00adtu\u00adoso gui\u00adtarist Joe Pass and Niels-Hen\u00adning \u00d8rst\u00aded Ped\u00ader\u00adsen on bass.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"08-01-02](\"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/08-01-02-LISTN-Envoie-for-Oscar-Peterson-pic-5.jpg\")
<\/a>Peterson\u2019s mod\u00adest deco\u00adrum, always part of his par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar charm, was exem\u00adpli\u00adfied when he was offered the posi\u00adtion of Lieu\u00adtenant Gov\u00ader\u00adnor of Ontario (in Cana\u00adda, this posi\u00adtion, not the Pre\u00admier\u00adship, is the polit\u00adi\u00adcal Head of State). Prime Min\u00adis\u00adter Jean Chr\u00e9\u00adtien, a life\u00adlong friend, was the insti\u00adga\u00adtor of this trib\u00adute, but Peter\u00adson turned it down. But Chr\u00e9\u00adtien did man\u00adage to orches\u00adtrate a high\u00adly emo\u00adtional meet\u00ading between Peter\u00adson and Nel\u00adson Man\u00addela. His last years, despite ill-health, were con\u00adcen\u00adtrated on teach\u00ading. He always insist\u00aded that jazz pianists should mas\u00adter Bach as part of their basic training.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"08-01-02](\"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/08-01-02-LISTN-Envoie-for-Oscar-Peterson-pic-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/span>![\"08-01-02](\"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/08-01-02-LISTN-Envoie-for-Oscar-Peterson-pic-3.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"