Oscar Peterson:
The Will to Swing
Gene Lees

This biography is both fascinating and confusing. Fascinating because most of the time Lees writes well, and is writing about that rare creature, a world-famous Canadian entertainer who still lives in Canada. Confusing because sometimes it's not clear who's speaking. Confusing because one chapter details the savage relationship Peterson has with many critics, and the next presents a much more balanced view.

I'll come clean right now and say that I'm still learning to listen to jazz. Much of it I don't understand, or even find pleasant to listen to. My jazz collection is 5 Peterson CD's, some Diana Krall, Nat Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Jan Garbarek. This may mark me as hopelessly provincial in the eyes of the cognoscenti, but we all start listening somewhere. And Peterson was where I started.

Maybe I started with him for the wrong reasons, for I was in a record store and saw a poster with a rave review for his 1990 Live at the Blue Note album. I liked it, and bought more of his work. Yes, you there, swooning in the aisle. I know that listening to an artist of this caliber for the first time should be something I remember forever. But I was involved in other things and almost all the music I listened to was as background while I worked on something else.

The book isn't just about Peterson; it's also about jazz, the piano's place in jazz, and some of the prominent jazz musicians of the 20th century. It's a fascinating world, with it's own language and customs. The book starts with Peterson and places him in the jazz world, not just as a descendent of Tatum, but also Bach, Mozart, and Vivaldi. It also explores Peterson's relationships with Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Ed Thigpen, and other jazz luminaries.

Peterson is well known for his practical jokes, and was done unto a few times. Some of these are hilarious. Peterson would de-tune guitars, then start a set. Now, if I were playing in public I might not think that was very funny, but I guess such musicians have a different sense of humour.

I really enjoyed the reading the book. Anybody just getting into listening to jazz, or is interested in improving their collection of music is probably going to enjoy the book as well. I'd probably buy the book if I saw it in a used bookstore.

 

Key Porter, 2000
ISBN 1-55263-112-5