Beginning tomorrow night at the Stratford Festival, where Peterson and his trio recorded a landmark album in the mid-1950s, the late Mississauga pianist will be honoured in a series of concerts, entitled In Oscar's Footsteps.
“We want to salute Oscar Peterson and to remember how he appeared in this city as early as 1956,” said John Miller, Stratford Summer Music’s artistic producer. “I’m only sorry that this remarkable musician, whom many appreciate as the greatest jazz pianist of his generation, won’t be here to accept the invitation we all intended to extend to him to come back and be honoured in our city.”
Robi Botos, the Hungarian-born pianist who's a huge Peterson fan, and who has played regularly at Oscar Peterson Public School's annual fundraising concert, kicks off the series.
Each of the artists will play Friday and Saturday night concerts at the Pazzo Ristorante Bar, at 70 Ontario St. in Stratford.
Botos will play with saxophonist Perry White and vocalist Yvette Tollar. He was the winner of the International Montreux Jazz Festival Young Artist Prize in 2004, where Peterson also played.
On Aug. 1 and 2, Toronto pianist Brian Dickinson, a two-time Juno Award winner, joins the series.
Lorraine Desmarais, winner of the 2002 Oscar Peterson Award at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, plays Aug. 15-16.
The final performer is longtime Peterson friend, bassist Dave Young, who was in two of Peterson's groups and played with him frequently, including at the Sept. 10, 2003 tribute concert at the Living Arts Centre on the day Peterson received the City's highest award for its citizens.
Earlier this summer, Young became the 20th artist to receive the Oscar Peterson Award at the acclaimed Montreal Jazz Festival. It was created in 1989 to honour a Canadian musician who has made outstanding contributions to jazz in this country and for the quality of his art.
Performances for the In Oscar's Footsteps series begin at 9:15 p.m. Cover charge is $20.
For reservations, call 519-273-6666.
jstewart@mississauga.net
