I was privy to a great performance at Ottawa's NAC last night by the Oliver Jones Trio starring Oscar Peterson's spiritual son on piano. Montreal bassist Eric Lagacé was in top form with a lithe and graceful touch that was velvety smooth yet driven. A wonderful thing to watch, especially when played on such a beautiful instrument (a 5-string Mario Lamarre Doublebass - http://www.lamario.ca/). You can see and hear Lagacé with that instrument in this open-air duo performance with Oliver Jones in a Montreal park : Amongst things, his arco work would put a cellist to shame.
A couple of notes about Oliver Jones and Jim Doxas at this show. The young drummer was deferential to the elder statesman whilst bringing energy and propelling the whole thing forward. Despite the marked age difference, their was obvious complicity between all onstage and you could tell Jones admires and loves playing with this kid.
Finally, Oliver Jones...what can you say about a monument of Canadian music and the jazz world. He was funny as hell, humble, graceful and played beautifully despite his ''aches and pains''. As the 79 year-old played Oscar's Hymn to Freedom near the end of the show, it seemed like he was channeling as much as he was interpreting. It was a moving moment since, about 50 feet from where he sat in the ''Studio'', on the outside wall of the building, there is a bronze statue of Oscar Peterson sitting at a piano.
A couple of notes about Oliver Jones and Jim Doxas at this show. The young drummer was deferential to the elder statesman whilst bringing energy and propelling the whole thing forward. Despite the marked age difference, their was obvious complicity between all onstage and you could tell Jones admires and loves playing with this kid.
Finally, Oliver Jones...what can you say about a monument of Canadian music and the jazz world. He was funny as hell, humble, graceful and played beautifully despite his ''aches and pains''. As the 79 year-old played Oscar's Hymn to Freedom near the end of the show, it seemed like he was channeling as much as he was interpreting. It was a moving moment since, about 50 feet from where he sat in the ''Studio'', on the outside wall of the building, there is a bronze statue of Oscar Peterson sitting at a piano.
