My Master, by Serge Forté

Legend

Canadian Pianist born August 15th 1925 in Montreal, died December 23th 2007 in Mississauga (Ontario).

Oscar Peterson is for me the last piano giant, the guard of this eternal flame started about 1857 with this young 7 years old black slave pianist, Thomas Bethune (Blind Tom), showed in all Georgia by his “master”. There is already a whole symbolic system which was going to make Jazz a meaning of revolt and expression for all the black community and which has repercussions until today with the Motown label or the claims of the rap music for example. Oscar thus, like all his fellow-members, was not more privileged than the others because of his artist status and this, during many years : bad hotels reserved to black musicians whereas their white colleagues were placed in superb palace hotels, daily physical insults, even threats, were common. Was not said at this time in the black community, that “Be Bop” was not other than the sound made by the truncheons of white police officers, when they were crushed on the head of black musicians !

Except interview, Oscar Peterson told me that one day, getting out a plane with Ella Fitzgerald, Norman Granz and Ray Brown, they were accosted by a big cop (with a big gun !) which started to insult Norman Granz, because he got into the same taxi as “dirty negros”, threatening even to kill him if he continued !!! Fortunately for Music History, this pig did’nt have the audacity to put his threats to execution…

Another time, just after the 39/45 war, Oscar and Ella were in Paris and quietly took a glass in a bar when they were made apostrophise by a whole band of American sailors who started to violently insult them under pretext that they were in the presence of white people... And there, to their great surprise, all the other white consumers came themselves all around them in front of this sailors who left the place completely disgusted. If I allowed myself this small preamble, it’s because it is necessary to be conscious of all this facts when we listen to Oscar Peterson. He never deviated his road, never turned back to the Blues even when the Jazz was in loss speed and that other new music’s currents, more exciting for kids (and certainly more lucrative !) attracted many musicians. From where his criticisms a little sharp-edged towards some ! (cf interview).

I really started studying the art of Oscar Peterson when I realised, during a master class in 1987, that I was not able to play a traditional blues!!! We were in a workshop with John Abercrombie and when he asked me to start a simple blues, I played immediately complex chords and harmonies in Chick Corea’s style, which I liked very much at the time. He stopped me immediately, reassign me to play very simple,“ Louisiana style !” which was completely impossible for me ! Following this unhappy experiment, but how much advantageous, I entered the world of Oscar Peterson ! I can say today that I am very grateful towards John Abercrombie to open my eyes, because this music is so happy, swinging, and very formative regardind technical problems in playing piano ! Moreover it is not rare that to heat me I replay one or two Oscar’s solos and I can say that you warm up very quickly !!!

Today I am proud to have devoted two Cd’s to him: “Hommage à Oscar” (recorded live June 1996, out of stock, and to be released in Japan in February 2008) and “Thanks for All” (recorded in NY, Nov 1997) and especially to have been able to meet and to interview him.