Sound recording of the seven-part radio documentary About Oscar, concerning the life and career of the jazz musician Oscar Peterson. Narrated and produced by Chris Brookes, the documentary includes extended sections where Peterson discusses his own life and career, discussions by others about Peterson and his historical context, and the playback of archival and historical sound recordings. Included are numerous musical performances by ensembles with Peterson.~Part 1 focusses on Peterson's early life and musical formation in Montreal in the 1930s and early 1940s, including such subjects as his family, the influence of his father Daniel Peterson, the neighbourhood (St Henri) in which he lived and his childhood experiences as an African Canadian, the railway industry and its importance to the African Canadian community, his musical education and early influences (such as Teddy Wilson and Count Basie), early professional engagements, and the first time he heard a recording by the pianist Art Tatum.~Part 2, titled Making It in Montreal, focusses on Peterson's career in Montreal in the mid to late 1940s, including his engagement with the Johnny Holmes Orchestra, Peterson's studies with Paul de Marky, the formation of the Oscar Peterson Trio and its engagement at the Alberta Lounge, the discovery of Peterson by the American promoter Norman Granz, Peterson's 1949 Carnegie Hall début with Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP), and racist incidents that Peterson encountered early in his professional career.~Part 3, titled University of Jazz, documents Peterson's years touring with JATP, including in the United States of America (USA) and Japan. Peterson characterises this period as his higher education in jazz. Included are extended accounts by Peterson, Granz, and Ella Fitzgerald about the JATP and its tours. Among the major themes are: the levels of excellence and consistency required in this ensemble; Granz's efforts to achieve for jazz the same respectability and recognition afforded to classical music; Peterson's role and talent as an accompanist for soloists; the persistent racism (for example, in hotels and concert halls, and by authorities such as the police) encountered by Peterson and the African American JATP musicians, particularly in the southern USA, and Granz's extensive efforts to counter this racism.~Part 4, titled The Trio, pertains to the Oscar Peterson Trio, with an emphasis on the grouping with Herb Ellis (guitar) and Ray Brown (bass) that existed during 1953-1958. The trio's musical and social dynamics, its closeness, and the members' belief and awareness that they were the best jazz trio in the world are major themes in this programme. Peterson discusses the loneliness of life on the road and speculates that this loneliness is one of the causes of the drug and alcohol abuse to which many jazz artists have succumbed. Also discussed are the challenges of the transition to a piano-bass-drums configuration after the 1958 departure of Ellis from the trio and the arrival of drummer Ed Thigpen. This programme features commentary by Ellis and Stanley Crouch, in addition to that by Peterson himself.~Part 5 focusses on Peterson's music and career in the 1960s, a decade that witnessed considerable social change and an evolution in musical tastes (evident in the prominence of pop groups such as the Beatles) that undermined the economic and fan base of jazz. Among the major topics are: Peterson's decision to move from Montreal to Toronto in 1958; the Advanced School of Contemporary Music, a jazz education institute founded in 1960 by Peterson with Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen, and Phil Nimmons (the latter of whom who also discusses the school); the divergent views on Peterson and his music held by of a group of critics (Stanley Crouch, Gene Lees, Leonard Feather, and Max Harrison), who discuss the question of whether Peterson relies principally on his virtuosic piano technique or whether he is a creative artist of greater depth; and Peterson's solo recordings of the 1960s, which he undertook with the encouragement of Granz and Duke Ellington.~Part 6 is a departure from the broadly chronological approach taken in the first 5 programmes. Part 6 focusses on Peterson as a Canadian jazz pianist and composer, his music that is inspired by and which reflects Canada, his Canadian identity and his views on what it means to be Canadian, and his efforts to make the Canadian media and society more inclusive of non-majority cultures and races. The programme begins with commentary by Peterson on his decision to remain in Canada, despite advice from his manager Norman Granz to move to Los Angeles, USA. The creation and recording of celebrated Peterson compositions, notably Hymn to Freedom and The Canadiana Suite, are recounted. Peterson reflects on the changing nature of Canada since his composition of The Canadiana Suite in 1967, and speculates that he could not compose the same work in the more turbulent and fractured Canada of the 1990s. Also discussed are Peterson's efforts, beginning in the 1980s, to promote the inclusion of non-majority cultural and racial groups in the media, and particularly in commercial advertising. Included are accounts of these efforts by representatives of the advertising industry and community organisations working against racism. The programme concludes with excerpts from presentation ceremonies for music industry and civic awards bestowed on Peterson, and a commentary by him on those awards.~The series concludes with part 7, titled The Price of Fame, which begins with an extended discussion of Oscar Peterson's family relationships, and the effect of his career as a jazz musician on those relationships. In addition to Peterson himself, the voices of several family members, including children from his first marriage, are heard. They recount the difficulties that arose in a family life in which the father was often absent on tour for months at a time, and the estrangement that occurred at times between Peterson and some of his children. Included are recordings from the first Peterson family reunion, held in Montreal in 1991, including commentary by Peterson on the train trip to Montreal and an excerpt from a speech he gave at the reunion. The programme continues with an account of the reunion in the early 1990s of the Oscar Peterson Trio that featured Herb Ellis (guitar) and Ray Brown (bass). This is followed by Peterson giving a demonstration of electronic instruments in his home studio, and his remarks on the usefulness and validity of electronic instruments for contemporary composers and other musicians. Peterson then discusses health problems that he has experienced (arthritis and his 1993 stroke), and their impact on his music. The programme concludes with an excerpt from the 1993 Glenn Gould Prize ceremonies, and part of the performance by Peterson and his group that was broadcast live from the CBC's Glenn Gould Studio. <6h 2mn>
