This autobiography has been a work in progress for nearly fifteen years and proves to be well worth the wait. As monumental as the man himself and his six-decade career in jazz, A Jazz Odyssey begins with Peterson's early years in Canada as part of a large family for whom times were often hard, going on to trace in detail not only his musical development but much of the social and political background that underscored it. Peterson's account focuses on his United States' debut at Carnegie Hall in 1949 and his startling rise as a presence in American jazz, as both virtuoso soloist and empathetic accompanist.

The section on Norman Granz, Peterson's closest friend and manager from his earliest American days, pays tribute to the late impresario's ground-breaking achievements as a concert promoter, record producer, and significant civil rights activist, while the large section entitled "Jazz People" logs Peterson's warm and often hilarious reminiscences of the innumerable jazz stars he played for and with. Especially notable are his portraits of Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Ella Fitzgerald, though his deft and witty sketches of violinist Stuff Smith and trombone genius Bill Harris are hardly less remarkable.

Later sections document Peterson's subsequent career as a solo pianist, his three highly successful series for the BBC as a chat-host on Oscar's Piano Parties, reflections on the many pianos he has owned and played, and his thoughts on electronic music. The book's final pages are devoted to Peterson's reflections on political matters - racial, musical, and Canadian - and on specific aspects of his personal life.

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PAPERBACK EDITION available