Oscar Peterson

Born in 1925 in Montreal, Oscar Peterson ranks high among the most technically dazzling jazz pianists to emerge in the middle of the 20th century. From the beginning of his musical education, the virtuoso was fascinated with pyrotechnic piano playing: He studied with a disciple of the florid classical pianist and composer Franz Liszt and idolized the swift-fingered, stride-influenced player Art Tatum. Peterson recorded with small ensembles in Canada before breaking through in the U.S. in 1949 through Carnegie Hall’s Jazz at the Philharmonic series. He began recording and touring extensively, honing a commercially friendly style that blended traditional swing values with newer innovations. Peterson produced his most revered body of work with his ’50s trio featuring bassist Ray Brown and drummer Herb Ellis. In the ’60s and ’70s, he became celebrated for the showmanship of his solo performances, as well as his duo releases with jazz legends including Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, and Ella Fitzgerald. The pianist’s career was slowed by a stroke in 1993, but he would perform and record up until his passing in 2007.