It was the idea of Céline Peterson, Oscar’s daughter and close friend of Oliver Jones, and Jim Doxas, who accompanied the composer, pianist and musician on drums for a dozen years. band leader Montrealers: Mr. Jones will celebrate his 90th birthday on September 11e birthday, so why not throw him a party, with admirers and friends? On Saturday, a dozen colleagues will share the stage of the Jean-Duceppe theater to offer him performances of selected pieces from his repertoire, that of his mentor, Oscar Peterson, and the standards he cherished, all to thank him for still being there. Testimonies from Lorraine Desmarais and Jim Doxas.
“Celine and I said to ourselves that instead of putting together a all-star band with musicians from here, from the United States, Canada and Europe, why not instead mount a tribute with Mr. Jones’s loved ones, with those who were affected by him?” summarizes Jim Doxas, who has known Oliver Jones for more than 35 years and shared the stage with him for “12 years and more than 500 concerts.”
Lorraine Desmarais has been acquainted with Oliver Jones since his return from Puerto Rico (where he led a jazz and calypso orchestra for years) in the early 1980s: “When I started playing on stage, I wasn’t yet giving concerts, I was doing cocktail piano at the Four Seasons Hotel, downtown. Oscar too, but on the floor above; when I took my break, I would go up to hear him play – and he would come down to listen to me when he took his!”
The two pianists became friends, exchanging ideas about their shared passions for jazz and classical music. Since Mr. Jones had taken up residence at Biddle’s Club (with his trio, Charles Biddle on bass, Bernard Primeau on drums), he asked Lorraine Desmarais to replace him when his schedule took him away from the Aylmer Street club. “He had asked me to compose a piece for him, entitled Odalisquewhich he recorded on the album Just in Time [1998]adds the pianist. What a challenge to write something for Oliver Jones! I have never played it myself on stage, which I will do at the concert – it will be a first, I hope he will like it!
Jim Doxas and his colleagues have prepared a program consisting mainly of Jones’ compositions, including Lights of Burgundytaken from the album of the same name (1985). Pianist Rafael Zaldivar will perform a piece composed for the occasion. “In addition to Oliver’s songs, there will be a jazz arrangement of an excerpt from the Symphony of the New World by Dvořák, because he always loved classical music. And songs by his friend and mentor Oscar Peterson, including Hymn to Freedom “, first recorded for the masterpiece Night Train (1962).
Humility, friendliness
One of the country’s top jazz pianists in the 1980s and 1990s, Oliver Jones is known for his delicate touch and agile technique, reflecting the styles of Art Tatum, Nat King Cole, Ahmad Jamal and another beloved giant of Montreal jazzophiles, Oscar Peterson, in whose shadow he built his career. Not only did he not suffer from the comparison with this other kid from Little Burgundy, he welcomed it, says Jim Doxas.
“Oliver was always comfortable with that comparison because Oscar Peterson was a jazz god. Not just in Montreal or Canada, but in the world; he was among the best of his time. However, I would add that Oliver had great admiration for his music, his technique, but also because he was proof that a black man could also have such a career. Before talking about his music, Oliver spoke of Peterson as a local guy, who grew up on his street corner, and who made a name for himself around the world, something that, at the time, seemed difficult, if not impossible. He was an extraordinary role model, like Jackie Robinson was [au baseball] “.
However, Oliver Jones had something unique, explains Lorraine Desmarais: “Oscar Peterson was a master technician, a virtuoso, who made exciting music. Oliver Jones was also an exciting technician, and a virtuoso too, but what he brought more was a friendly, convivial dimension to his music. He was even more accessible to the public, in his musical turns of phrase, in his way of playing, his way of being, too. What you notice about Oliver is the smile he always wears when he plays.”
“One of Oliver’s strengths was that he didn’t play for himself,” confirms Jim Doxas. “He always thought first of the audience that was there to listen to him, he didn’t try to alienate them with a repertoire or overly daring interpretations. He’s a entertainerbasically, there to please the public. What I always found extraordinary about him was that before a concert, we never did any setlista program of songs to play. He said: “I don’t understand how you can prepare a program if you don’t know the energy of the audience.”
We have nevertheless prepared one, a program, for the great musician, who has confirmed his presence. Lorraine Desmarais herself experienced this kind of tribute, during a concert celebrating her 40-year career, presented at the FIJM two years ago, at the Monument-National. “It’s touching,” she confides. “We are excited during the evening, it always provokes beautiful encounters between musicians. And for Oliver, it will be a beautiful moment of grace. He deserves it.”