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Explore the life, music, and legacy of jazz icon Oscar Peterson at the National Music Centre’s centenary celebration.
This year, the jazz world will mark a historic milestone: the 100th anniversary of Oscar Peterson’s birth. Born in Montreal on August 15, 1925, Peterson rose from the city’s Little Burgundy neighbourhood to become one of the most celebrated pianists in the history of the music. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he recorded hundreds of albums, collaborated with the greatest names in jazz, and dazzled audiences around the globe with a combination of impeccable technique, deep swing, and lyrical inventiveness. His artistry bridged eras and styles, earning him comparisons to Art Tatum, the respect of peers like Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, and the admiration of generations of listeners.
As we approach this centenary year, it’s worth pausing to revisit some of the albums that define Peterson’s legacy — recordings that capture his evolution as a performer, composer, and collaborator, and that continue to influence jazz musicians today.
1. Night Train (1963)
The lean, smoky trio sound on Night Train is classic Peterson: bluesy, rhythmic, and instantly hummable. The trio on this session is Oscar Peterson (piano), Ray Brown (double bass) and Ed Thigpen (drums). The album contains Peterson’s now-famous original Hymn to Freedom, written during the session and later embraced as an informal civil-rights era anthem — a tune that gave the record extra cultural weight beyond its superb playing. Night Train is regularly cited as one of Peterson’s defining long-play records.
2. Canadiana Suite (1964/65)
A rare example of Peterson composing an extended programme tied to place, Canadiana Suite is Oscar’s musical portrait of Canada — from the Maritimes to the Rockies. Personnel: Oscar Peterson (piano) backed by Ray Brown (bass) and Ed Thigpen (drums). The suite’s movements (e.g., “Place St. Henri,” “Hogtown Blues,” “Wheatland”) show Peterson’s ability to write memorable themes and to conjure landscape through jazz. It’s a proud national statement from Canada’s most internationally famous jazz musician.
3. Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson (1959)
A delightful meeting of a tenor giant and a piano titan. Ben Webster’s warm, breathy tenor blends beautifully with Peterson’s trio . The interplay is conversational and mellow — great for late-night listening — and the record is often recommended as an entry point to the lyrical side of both players.
4. The Giants (1974/77 releases vary)
This title crops up on a few labels/pressings, but the idea is the same: Peterson in summit sessions with top players including Joe Pass and Ray Brown. These “giants” sessions showcase Peterson’s facility in small-group formats with other virtuosos, trading solos and pushing each other dynamically. Personnel listings vary by pressing, so check your edition — many reissues credit Joe Pass and Ray Brown alongside Peterson.
5. Oscar Peterson et Joe Pass à Salle Pleyel (1975)
A straight-up virtuoso duo: Peterson on piano and Joe Pass on guitar, recorded live at Paris’s Salle Pleyel. The sparseness of duo settings throws both players into the spotlight and their mutual respect is obvious — they listen and respond with exquisite taste. This Pablo release captures the chemistry between two players who never waste a note. Wikipedia
6. Encore at the Blue Note (recorded 1990, released 1993)
One of the later live documents of Peterson’s trio work, recorded at NYC’s Blue Note. Personnel on these sets include Oscar Peterson (piano), Ray Brown (double bass), Bobby Durham (drums) and guest/guitar contributions from Herb Ellis on some tracks. The Blue Note shows are prized because they capture Peterson near the end of his peak touring years — swaggering, lyrical and still capable of jaw-dropping runs.
7. Ella and Oscar (with Ella Fitzgerald, 1975/76 releases)
A masterclass in vocal-piano duo intimacy. Ella Fitzgerald’s voice and Peterson’s accompaniment have a famously natural rapport: sparse, swinging, and beautifully supportive. The album (credited to Ella & Oscar) is often described as one of the most intimate pairings between a major jazz singer and a pianist, with Peterson providing tasteful, lyrical comping and occasional lead moments that never overshadow the singer. It’s a classic example of accompaniment that’s both sensitive and virtuosic.
8. Oscar Peterson Trio + One (1964)
This record is a fun twist on the standard trio format — the “+ One” guest changes the feel on each track and highlights Peterson’s flexibility as a sideman/leader depending on who’s sitting in. The trio core is usually Peterson-Brown-Thigpen (or variations from that era) with guests such as Clark Terry appearing on some sessions. The result: trio swing with an added voice for tasteful variety.
9. Solo (concerts recorded 1972, released later as Solo)
Peterson’s solo piano work reveals a different facet: less accompanimental, more architectonic. These live solo sets (recorded in 1972, released later) show his classical technique and jazz instincts in full view — standards, bop tunes and Peterson originals rendered with thrilling independence of line and a clear harmonic imagination. Personnel: Oscar Peterson solo. If you want to understand his piano language up close, this is a go-to.
10. Oscar in Paris (various releases; notable live documents)
Peterson’s many live Paris recordings remind you how adored he was in Europe. Oscar in Paris documents live energy, audience response and the flowing improvisational conversations Peterson could sustain in concert. Personnel and track lists vary by edition — some versions capture earlier trios from the late 1950s/60s, others document later groups — but the throughline is Peterson’s ability to elevate familiar tunes into moments of improvisatory surprise