Tag: Norfolk state college

Jazz Memories: My Journey with Oscar Peterson’s Music

October 17, 2025

My son reminded me of a time when, after dinner, I lay down on the couch, closed my eyes, and listened to Oscar Peterson as loudly as the family could tolerate. Oscar Peterson has always been my favorite jazz pianist. In my youth, I enjoyed listening to my mother play jazz: she had a perfect ear and could play any song without sheet music, picking out chords as she went along. Perhaps because of her influence, I started playing the piano at an early age and continued until I rebelled in my early teens against the long practice sessions. This background helps explain my passion for jazz piano. In my opinion, as a jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson is unmatched, even when compared to greats like Ramsey Lewis, Ahmad Jamal, or Art Tatum.

Oscar Peterson’s fame is indeed global. He won eight Grammy Awards and collaborated with legends like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Nat King Cole. He also received the Order of Canada, among many other accolades. His success is especially inspiring considering he grew up in Little Burgundy, a predominantly Black neighborhood in Montreal, where racism was alive. His father worked as a porter and a sleeping car attendant for Canadian Pacific Railways (CPR). However, he was also a musician who encouraged his children to pursue music.

Oscar displayed his talent for the piano from an early age. He studied under Paul de Marky, a Hungarian classical pianist who had studied with Stephan Thoman, a pupil of Franz Liszt. Although he initially showed an interest in classical piano, Oscar’s musical path evolved significantly early in his life. He played in jazz clubs in Montreal as a teenager and later performed at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1929 when he was twenty-four years old. Over his lifetime, he recorded around two hundred albums before passing away in 2007.

I remember seeing Oscar Peterson perform at Norfolk State College in 1968. He played spirituals to an all-black audience—we were the only white folks at the college. I had a job in Norfolk, VA, but I was mostly ignorant of the racial issues in the United States at the time. When we entered the auditorium and realized we were the only white people there, we felt a bit out of place. However, the audience was enthusiastic, wholly immersed in the music, and ignored us. The auditorium seemed to come alive with people stomping their feet and clapping to the rhythm.

While in Norfolk, I cannot forget the time when I played some Oscar Peterson music at full blast, and a black pastor knocked on my door looking for donations. The first thing he said was that I was listening to some great music. Naturally, I gave him a large donation.

When the announcement was made that the Oscar Peterson Centennial Quartet would be performing at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, I quickly purchased tickets. I wasn’t familiar with the Quartet, but I assumed they would play Oscar Peterson’s music. I was particularly eager to hear the pianist, even though I knew that no one could match Oscar’s virtuosity.

In honor of Oscar’s 100th birthday, the Centennial Quartet was formed this year. The organizers assembled a group of accomplished musicians for the Quartet. The performance we attended featured Ulf Wakenius on guitar, who had played with Peterson for ten years, from 1997 until Oscar’s passing. On piano was Robi Botos, a former student of Oscar’s in Toronto. The drummer, Tom Doxas, and bassist, Mike Downes, are both well-known figures in the Canadian jazz scene. The Quartet is touring globally, and while the musicians may change depending on the venue, the music remains consistent.

Upon arriving at the theater, we were treated to a multimedia presentation of Oscar’s life on a giant screen above the stage. Then, Celine Peterson, Oscar’s youngest daughter, took the stage to share anecdotes about her father. The concert began with Celine introducing the drummer, who performed a quiet drum solo. The bassist was introduced next and joined the drummer in a soft swing while Celine continued speaking. Following them, the guitarist and pianist joined in, and the Quartet launched into one of Oscar’s compositions, “Night Train,” apparently inspired by the composer’s father’s work as a sleeping car attendant for the CPR.

The Quartet’s interpretations of Peterson’s compositions, including “Hymn to Freedom,” “Cakewalk,” and “Place St. Henry,” were met with enthusiasm and loud applause. In addition to these pieces, the Quartet also performed popular classics like “Sophisticated Lady,” a composition by Duke Ellington, and others. The audience’s warm reception was so overwhelming that after finishing their set, the Quartet had to perform an encore to calm the audience’s applause. I was bobbing my head and stomping my foot to the rhythm throughout the concert. As the smiling crowd exited the auditorium, I stopped at a table in the lobby to browse the CDs for sale by members of the Centennial Quartet. I decided to buy one—the one featuring pianist Roby Botos—hoping to enjoy jazz piano in the style of Oscar Peterson. And as soon as we entered our house, I started playing all of my Peterson’s CDs.

My Love of Music and Black History Month

March 2.2023

When Beau Dixon came to town, I had to go and see him at the Meridian Theater in Ottawa. The ninety-minute show promised Beau’s music, blues, rock, and soul, my favorites. I must have gotten one of the last tickets on the balcony in the last row. But I did not complain; the back row has good acoustics and Beau’s music is loud.

It is Black History Month and Beau had a scripted, fast-moving show displaying black music at its best, playing songs from Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and others. I came to listen to and enjoy my favorite type of music and ended up learning about the contribution of black music to North American culture.

Beau showed his multi-talented musical genius by playing the harmonica, and keyboard and singing. It was a tour de force and brought back fond memories.

My first job after finishing graduate school at the University of North Carolina was in Norfolk, VA, and I just had to build a stereo system to listen to my music. I still remember the high-quality Harman-Kardon component system, that I built. Testing the system, I played my favorite pianist, Oscar Peterson, at full blast when there was a banging on the door of our rented apartment. Scared that management might throw us out for being too loud, I cautiously opened the door to discover a black pastor. I turned the volume down and asked him to come in. Before explaining that he was looking for donations for his church, he congratulated me on playing “excellent religious” music. I had Oscar Peterson playing his composition “Hymn to Freedom”, an ode he wrote for the freedom marchers in the 1960s. With such an introduction, I had no choice in my mind but to offer a large contribution to his church.

Listen to Oscar Peterson playing his composition in Denmark, in 1964.

The other memory took me back to when we went to listen to Oscar Peterson playing at Norfolk State College in 1973. Oscar gave a rousing concert with mostly spirituals, and the audience was rocking along with his playing. We may have been the only white folks in the audience that I found a bit eery but in those days there was still much segregation by skin color and this was a black college.

Beau drew a mixed audience in Ottawa. A large percentage of the people were black and their enthusiasm showed in the tapping, stomping, and singing along with many of the songs. It was an appreciative audience and I also could not help myself but start stomping with my feet. My neighbor was swaying from left to right, nudging me constantly. Some in the audience jumped onto the floor and danced while others stood up and clapped to the sound of well-known songs like “Hound Dog”, popularized by Elvis Presley in 1956, but originally recorded by “Big Mama” Thornton in 1952. As Beau explained, many famous songs originated from black people but were popularized by white folks.

Listen to the first recording of the song by Big Mama Thornton in 1952.

Throughout the meticulously curated show, Beau engaged the audience with his charm and infectious energy. And his singers not only performed well-known songs but also talked about black Canadians’ contributions to our society, such as Viola Desmond, a civil rights activist from Nova Scotia; Lincoln Alexander, the first black member of Parliament and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario; Drake, the rapper, Michaelle Jean, previous Governor General of Canada.

One highlight of the program was when Beau’s singers performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, which is the hymn of black people; a song I have not heard before. The audience responded by standing up and singing along with the band; it was a highly emotional experience.

Listen to the hymn performed by the Amanah AME Zion Church choir, from Knightdale, NC, in 2022.

Although I went to hear my favorite music and I was not disappointed, I learned much about the contribution black culture made to Canadian society.