I discovered Oscar Peterson when I was a freshman in college. One of my favorite albums – see, there used to be these things called “albums,” about 12 inches in diameter, black vinyl, with one looooonnnngggg groove that made the music come out – was Ella and Oscar. I remember going one night to Hilton Head to see Oscar play. Amazing!
Well, he just turned 80 this week, and he’s still going strong! Oh, and did you know he’s the first living Canadian musician to be honored with a commemorative postage stamp?
Thanks to the good folks over at MetaFilter for the link.
NOTE: The Amazon link above shows the cover art for the Ella and Oscar LP I had, but as one reviewer noted, it’s definitely not the same music. Check the first review for the list of tracks on the album I loved…
