Oscar Peterson

Monday's news of Oscar Peterson's death at age 82 came as something of a surprise. I knew he'd not been in the best of health in recent months but was not aware of the seriousness of his condition.

The Canadian-born pianist had been a reliable presence on the jazz scene for many decades. Not even a stroke in the 1990's could silence Peterson.

To simply see Peterson at the keyboard was to glimpse an obviously overpowering musical presence. However, when he started playing you instantly knew you were in the company of a commanding talent.

Like some other jazz players who garnered widespread recognition, Oscar Peterson was dismissed by some critics for being too technically perfect and for not revealing sufficient emotion in his music. How much of this criticism was rooted in envy of Peterson's widespread success is anyone's guess.

I am happy that for one night in my life I was fortunate to be in the audience for an Oscar Peterson concert. He made the piano sound like an entire orchestra.