Oscar Peterson at 100

Kelly Peterson on the concerts celebrating her husband at Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 8-9

To celebrate the centennial of piano legend Oscar Peterson’s birth, his widow—and executor of his estate—Kelly Peterson has been busy curating concerts and recordings. For two concerts in Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 8-9, Kelly has put together a very special ensemble including pianists Benny Green and Cyrus Chestnut and vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, who will perform Peterson’s compositions as well as standards he made famous.

Green has a particularly strong relationship with Peterson, who served as a mentor to the pianist when he was coming up through the ranks. “When Oscar received the Glenn Gould Prize in 1993, part of that award was choosing someone to receive the protégé award, and Oscar selected Benny,” Kelly explains. “And from then on, Benny and Oscar were very close. He became part of our family. Although Benny has his own style, he definitely carries forward the traditions of jazz that Oscar espoused, and he honors Oscar by the way he honors the music.” Kelly describes Cyrus Chestnut, the other pianist during concert, as “one of the brightest stars of jazz piano these days.”

During Peterson’s time as a Verve recording artist and regular performer on Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic tours and recordings, he developed a very close relationship with Ella Fitzgerald, with whom he recorded and performed many times. Dee Dee Bridgewater has not only immersed herself in the music of Fitzgerald, but also performed often with Ray Brown, one of Peterson’s closest collaborators. Kelly sent Bridgewater some of Peterson’s compositions that had lyrics. The vocalist was particularly captivated by a song called “I Never Dreamed I’d Be Without You,” with lyrics written by Harriette Hamilton who had served in that same role many years ago for “Hymn to Freedom.”

“Oscar’s melody is both catchy and melancholic, making it especially memorable,” Bridgewater explains. “When paired with Hamilton’s lyrics, it becomes truly unforgettable. Many of us have experienced the loss of a loved one, and the story conveyed through this piece, combined with its music, creates a deeply haunting effect.”

Bridgewater and the pianists will be supported by a stellar rhythm section featuring Bob Hurst on bass and Carl Allen on drums. Christian McBride will perform along with Hurst on the second night for a segment with material from the 1977 live album Oscar Peterson and the Bassists, which featured the pianist with Ray Brown and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen.

As to the setlist for the concerts, Kelly says that, in keeping with Peterson’s own approach to his concerts, things will unfold in an impromptu fashion. “I don’t really choose the music for the artists,” she explains. “The concert will include several of Oscar’s own compositions, because we are honoring him not only as a virtuoso, but also as a composer. But it will be up to the musicians to choose what they feel. Oscar really, until the last few years of his career, never did a setlist before a concert. He would tell the guys in the wings what the first tune was and then he would just call the tunes throughout the set that he felt like playing.”

There will be one exception. Kelly says that the concerts on both nights will close with Peterson’s “Hymn to Freedom,” a composition (written in 1962 and recorded on his Night Train album) that became a Civil Rights anthem.

This concert is just one of the many events planned for Peterson’s centennial. Later this year, live recordings from 1969 through to 1996 will be released as Oscar Peterson’s World Tour. The deluxe vinyl package will include a 48-page hardcover book. “We’ve used Oscar’s own words, including excerpts from his memoir, poems that he wrote, photos that Oscar took himself, liner notes from our daughter Celine and from me, and then some testimonials from people very close to him,” Kelly says.

As the stewards of Peterson’s life, music, and legacy, Kelly and Celine have been vigilant in overseeing both concerts and recordings by the pianist. “Our objectives for the entire time since Oscar passed away have been to preserve and promote the legacy that he left for us and to honor it to the best of our ability,” Kelly says. “And hopefully with the same level of excellence that he embodied.”