Oscar Peterson: Trios Times Two

Spend the afternoon with Richmond’s own jazz star Anthony Dowd in an entertaining and informative performance-based seminar about the history and music of jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. Anthony will demonstrate the genius of Oscar Petersen’s piano virtuosity with the help of fellow RVA jazz stars Randall Pharr (bass), Aaron Binder (drums), and Chris Whiteman (guitar).

Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) is considered by many to be one of the greatest jazz pianists ever. His career spanned 50+ years. He performed thousands of concerts around the world and recorded with the likes of Billie Holiday, Fred Astaire, Benny Carter, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Roy Eldridge.

We’re calling this Trios Times Two because of the two trios Peterson played with over his career – in the ’50s he his trio was a piano, bass, and guitar. A lot of piano players had that format so it was a big deal within the jazz community when Peterson dropped the guitar and added the drums in the ’60s. The seminar will conclude with a quartet of piano, bass, guitar, and drum that will feature live performances from recordings Peterson did in Germany in the ’70s.