RIP
Oscar Peterson
1925 - 2007

Oscar Peterson passed away on christmas night. Besides bizarre childrens music and deviant muzak, the wider spectrum of Petersons influential jazz was the first tunes and genre to have a deep impact with me. Encourage by my dad, the JazzFreak, I listened to jazz for years before even discovering that the musical world outside had been punked.
Dispite his somewhat traditional approach to jazz Oscar Peterson was a great and important influence to the younger jazz-generation, that arose in the early 60ties, among hese for example Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis.

My dad died in 2006, and had made it clear to us that he had always wanted Oscar Petersons "Hymn To Freedom" to be played at his funeral, which it was, and it filled the church with exactly that, a feeling of freedom, the less troublesome transision from live to death.

Goodspeed Mr. Peterson, if you see my Dad wherever you end up, I know he would wish one thing: A jam-session.

the man
http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Peterson
his music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OLB6mowad0 ("Sushi")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpadet-cTw8&feature=related ("Hymn to freedom"/ random link)