Born in Montreal, Canada, Peterson began learning trumpet and piano from his father at the age of five, but by the age of seven, after a bout of tuberculosis, he concentrated on the piano. Some of the artists who influenced Peterson during the early years were Teddy Wilson, Nat "King" Cole, James P. Johnson, and the legendary Art Tatum, to whom many have tried to compare Peterson in later years. In fact, one of his first exposures to the musical talents of Art Tatum came early in his teen years when his father played an Art Tatum record to him and Peterson was so intimidated by what he heard that he didn't touch the piano for over a week.
He soon developed a reputation as a technically brilliant and melodically inventive jazz pianist, and became a regular on Canadian radio. His United States introduction was at Carnegie Hall, New York City in 1949 by Norman Granz; owing to union restrictions his appearance could not be billed.
Some of his musical associates have included Lester Young, Ray Brown, Ben Webster, Herb Ellis, Ed Thigpen, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Louis Armstrong, Stéphane Grappelli, Ella Fitzgerald, Clark Terry, Joe Pass, Count Basie, and Stan Getz. An important step in his career was joining impresario Norman Granz's labels (especially Verve records) and Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic package, with which he was able to play with the major jazz artists of the time. Granz was also his manager for most of Peterson's career. Some cognoscenti assert that Peterson's best recordings were made for the MPS label in the late 'sixties and early 'seventies. For some years subsequently he recorded for Granz's Pablo Records after the label was founded in 1973 and in more recent years for the Telarc label.
In 1993, Peterson suffered a serious stroke that weakened his left side and sidelined him for two years. However he overcame this setback and went back to touring, recording, and composing on a limited basis. In 1997 he received a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement and an International Jazz Hall of Fame Award. He died on December 24th, 2007 of kidney failure.
Basin Street Blues
Oscar Peterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the Mississippi
We'll take a boat to the land of dreams
Steam down the river, down to New Orleans
The band's there to meet us
Old friends there to greet us
Where all the proud and elite folks meet
Basin Street is the street
Where the best folks always meet
In New Orleans, land of dreams
You'll never know how nice it seems,
Or just how much it really means
Glad to be, oh yes-sirree
Where welcome's free and dear to me
Where I can lose, lose my Basin Street Blues
Basin Street, oh Basin Street
Is the street, mama
New Orleans, land of dreams
The lyrics of Oscar Peterson's "Basin Street Blues" invite the listener to take a journey with him to the Mississippi river and sail down to New Orleans, where Basin Street awaits. There is a sense of excitement in the air as the band is there to meet them and old friends are there to greet them. Basin Street is a place where the "proud and elite folks meet," and it is deemed a heaven on earth. The song then praises Basin Street for being the street where the best folks always meet and where everything seems so nice and meaningful. The welcoming nature of the place is essential, and a place where one can lose their Basin Street Blues means one has found a home. The overall tone of the song is one of nostalgia, as if the singer is longing for a time and place that has already passed or one they can no longer be part of.
Line by Line Meaning
Won't you come along with me
I request you to join me
To the Mississippi
We will go to Mississippi
We'll take a boat to the land of dreams
We will travel by boat to a place of our deepest fantasies
Steam down the river, down to New Orleans
We will move along the river to reach New Orleans
The band's there to meet us
The musical group is present to welcome us
Old friends there to greet us
Our long-time acquaintances are ready to receive us
Where all the proud and elite folks meet
This is where the distinguished and the aristocrats converge
Heaven on earth, they call it Basin Street
This place is affectionately referred to as paradise on earth
Basin Street is the street
Basin Street is the name of the location
Where the best folks always meet
This is where the finest individuals often interact
In New Orleans, land of dreams
This is in New Orleans, the place of vision and aspiration
You'll never know how nice it seems
One cannot fathom the extent of the wonder of the place
Or just how much it really means
We cannot grasp the true significance of it all
Glad to be, oh yes-sirree
I'm pleased to be here, absolutely
Where welcome's free and dear to me
I value the hospitable environment where everyone is received amicably
Where I can lose, lose my Basin Street Blues
This is the place where I can get rid of my sadness and melancholy
Basin Street, oh Basin Street
Repeating the name of the location for emphasis
Is the street, mama
This is the street, my dear
New Orleans, land of dreams
Referring again to New Orleans as a place of hopes and ambitions
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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