Book Description

Based on extensive interviews, Oscar Peterson is a well-informed and provocative exploration of Peterson's music. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Lees paints portrait of legendary pianist
This updated version of the great jazz pianist is an excellent work by Mr.Lees.Few other writers could do justice to this project.Gene Lees hasknown most of the legends of jazz and counts many as personal friends. Only someone like Lees could have done such an extensive piece on thiscelebrated artist.The story of Oscar Peterson and his impact on modernjazz is worthy of 5 stars.Highly recommended for students of jazz historyand those many fans that have collected OP's recordings for decades.Amarvelous effort by the author. ... Read more

Book Description

'I can't truthfully recall my first meeting with the piano,' begins Oscar Peterson's 'Jazz Odyssey', his long-awaited autobiography, which tells the full story of the world's most famous jazz pianist. Edited by Richard Palmer, it covers Peterson's childhood in Montreal, his meetings with giants such as Art Tatum, and his rapid rise to international stardom after appearing on 'Jazz at the Philharmonic'. As might be expected from such a great communicator, this is a beautifully written, candid account of a stellar career, with Peterson's down-to-earth attitude providing insights into his colleagues, his many recordings, his philosophy, and his long love affair with the piano. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

From the review in 'Commentary', October 2002
'A Jazz Odyssey' is far from artful (though never less than readable), but I can think of no other jazz autobiography that has made the mysteries of music-making so readily accessible to the lay reader. Even those who dislike Oscar Peterson's playing will find his book informative - surely a near-unprecedented achievement. The result is a memorable contribution to the literature of jazz, and one can only hope that other musicians interested in telling their stories, whether on paper or into a tape recorder, will take it as a model. (Review by Terry Teachout)

Warm and endearing
Aside from having one of the most beautiful cover jackets I've seen on a book in a long time, this is an engaging, lovely book to read. I have to take issue with the reviewer from Publishers Weekly above - once you know that Oscar has suffered a stroke, I don't think it's fair to expect a perfectly written or perfectly structured book. What we get, instead, is a collection of reminiscences - nearly all of which shine with Oscar's warmth and intelligence and extraordinary feel for his subject: the life of a jazz man. Here's a good example, where he discovers a new piano, as a child:

'Early on I imagined that all the pianos I would play would be uprights. Not so! One day I was sent to the auditorium of my High School on an errand, and there stood a beautiful baby grand piano. I couldn't resist it: the errand vanished from my mind as I sat down to play this exquisite discovery. It was fantastic! The sound from its horizontal strings was a revelation after the vertical, harp-like strings I was used to: it seemed to reach inside me and grab at the pit of my stomach. The bell-like treble end particularly intrigued me, as I tried out numerous harmonic clusters in my left hand against moving phrases in the upper register, and I came away determined that one day one of these musical marvels would be mine. My own grand piano.' (page 297)

I can truly recommend this book if you're a fan of jazz piano. According to the book, there is a CD available of some of Oscar's best work to tie in with this, but I have not seen it anywhere yet. ... Read more