Oscar Peterson

I was feeling very lucky a few nights ago when we went to see the jazz pianist, Oscar Peterson. He is veeeery old, has suffered a stroke, and has had to learn to play the piano all over again. Not only that, he has only limited use of his left hand. You would think that all of this would impact his ability to put on a good show, but this is not at all the case. They wheel him up to the stage, he teeters over to the bench, and you worry that he may slip as he tries to sit down. Then he starts to play and you know why they call him an international treasure. I do not have the correct vocabulary to describe his playing, but let's just say that when he plays "Love Ballad" it is impossible to think about anything else. I must confess that I frequently find lighter jazz to fade into the background, but I was very impressed by this show. I think I may need to go CD shopping.