He 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 month.
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 Ray Brown, Ben Webster, Herb Ellis, Ed Thigpen, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Clark Terry, Joe Pass, 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 resumed 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, proof that Oscar Peterson is still regarded as one of the greatest jazz musicians ever to play.
His work has earned him seven Grammy awards over the years and he was elected to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1978. He also belongs to the Juno Awards Hall of Fame and the Canadian Jazz and Blues Hall of Fame.
He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1972, and promoted to Companion, its highest rank, in 1984. He is also a member of the Order of Ontario, a Chevalier of the National Order of Quebec, and an officer of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
He has received the Roy Thomson Award (1987), a Toronto Arts Award for lifetime achievement (1991), the Governor General's Performing Arts Award (1992), the Glenn Gould Prize (1993), the award of the International Society for Performing Artists (1995), the Loyola Medal of Concordia University (1997), the Praemium Imperiale World Art Award (1999), the UNESCO Music Prize (2000), and the Toronto Musicians' Association Musician of the Year award (2001).
From 1991 to 1994 he was chancellor of York University in Toronto.
In 2004 the City of Toronto named the courtyard of the Toronto-Dominion Centre Oscar Peterson Square.
Peterson's niece, Sylvia Sweeney, is a Canadian journalist and documentary film producer. Her 1992 film In the Key of Oscar is about Peterson.
On August 15, 2005 Peterson celebrated his 80th birthday at the HMV flagship store in Toronto. A crowd of about 200 gathered to celebrate with him there. Diana Krall sang happy birthday to him and also performed a vocal version of one of Peterson's songs "When Summer Comes". The lyrics for this version were written by Elvis Costello, Krall's husband. Canada Post unveiled a commemorative postage stamp in his honour. This marked the first time that a Canadian postage stamp was created celebrating an individual who was still alive other than Queen Elizabeth II. The event was covered by a live radio broadcast by Toronto jazz station, jazz.fm.
The Way You Look Tonight
The Oscar Peterson Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
And the way you look tonight.
Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft,
There is nothing for me but to love you,
With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart,
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.
Lovely
Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it?
'Cause I love you...Just the way you look tonight.
Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look tonight.
The Oscar Peterson Trio's song "The Way You Look Tonight" is a love song that brings out a sense of happiness inside. It starts off with a line about the singer feeling down and cold in the world, but then feels a sense of warmth and glow when thinking of the person they're singing to. The next stanza talks about the beauty of the singer, with her warm smile and soft cheeks. The singer says that there is nothing but love for the person they're singing to.
The song's lyrics then talk about how each time the person they're singing about speaks, their tenderness grows, tearing the singer's fears apart. The song continues with lyrics about how the person's laughter touches the singer's foolish heart before ending with a request for the person to never change because the singer loves them the way they look tonight.
Overall, the song is a deeply romantic and loving tribute to the beauty and warmth of the person being sung to. It's a classic song that's been covered by numerous artists over the years, and its lyrics remain a powerful tribute to the power of love and the warmth and beauty of the person being sung to.
Line by Line Meaning
Some day, when I'm awfully low,
At some point in the future, when I'm feeling deeply sad,
When the world is cold,
During times of emotional hardship or detachment,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you
Recalling thoughts of you will warm my spirit,
And the way you look tonight.
Especially when visualizing your image before me,
Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
You possess genuine beauty, your smile radiating warmth,
And your cheeks so soft,
Furthering my admiration, you have soft cheeks,
There is nothing for me but to love you,
Because of these qualities, I find myself with only love for you,
And the way you look tonight.
Especially based on your current appearance before me,
With each word your tenderness grows,
Every time you speak, your kindness increases,
Tearing my fear apart,
Your support and warmth dissolve my apprehensions,
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
Moreover, your laughter elicits endearing facial expressions,
It touches my foolish heart.
Your demeanor affects and influences my emotions,
Lovely
Adorable, dazzling, and alluring,
Never, ever change.
Please forever maintain your charming attributes,
Keep that breathless charm.
Continue to inspire a sense of awe with your appeal,
Won't you please arrange it?
Could you possibly assure this request for me?
'Cause I love you...Just the way you look tonight.
Due to the love I hold for you, solely based on your current appearance,
Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Expressing enthusiasm and excitement,
Just the way you look tonight.
Once again highlighting the significance of your present image,
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: DOROTHY FIELDS, JEROME KERN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind