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Remembering Oscar Peterson

Broadcast Date: Feb. 16, 1983

Canadian jazz musician extraordinaire Oscar Peterson died on December 23, 2007 at his home in Mississauga, Ont. He was 82. Peterson's dazzling technique combined with his swinging style made him one of the greatest and most influential jazz pianists in the world. The Montreal native developed a following for his brilliant playing early in his life, and as we hear in this clip, he credited many teachers with giving him the inspiration and instruction needed to pursue a career that made him one of Canada's national treasures.

Remembering Oscar Peterson

• Oscar Peterson was born on Aug. 15, 1925 in Montreal, Que. He grew up next to a church in Place St-Henri — a bustling district with a small but tight-knit black community.
• Peterson started off playing the trumpet and piano when he was five. He focused on classical piano two years later after a bout with tuberculosis left him with weakened lungs.


• Throughout his illustrious career, Peterson played with all the jazz greats including Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington. Despite his international fame, he maintained strong ties to his homeland, living and working in Canada his entire life.
• Peterson's long-awaited biography A Jazz Odyssey was published in 2002.
• Jazz great Count Basie said Oscar Peterson played the best "ivory box" he'd ever heard.

• Peterson received countless awards and accolades. He was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada (1985), appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre du Québec (1991) and awarded the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement (1992). In 1993, he was chosen as the first recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize for his exceptional contribution to music. In 2000 Peterson was awarded the prestigious UNESCO International Music Prize, becoming the first Canadian to receive the honour.

Remembering Oscar Peterson

Medium: Television

Program: Portraits

Broadcast Date: Feb. 16, 1983

Guest(s): Paul de Marky, Oscar Peterson, Daisy Peterson

Announcer: Jeff Davis

Duration: 3:11

Last updated:
Feb. 28, 2008