This video, shared by Rudy Cortes, offers a vintage look at jazz keyboardist Oscar Peterson and his massive synth collection.
Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) had a 60+ year long career. While he was best known as a jazz pianist, he was also active as a composer and music educator.
via Vinícius
Thank you for the video! I own the CS-80 that Oscar Peterson dumped when he bought that Synclavier system.
Such an amazing pianist and musician…
Wow, Gringo! How did you come to own it? Did you get if from him directly?
I remember learning about him in college and hearing him play. It just seems impossible, what he does.
I got it from someone else who passed on to me a letter regarding its history. So many people dumped their analogs in the 80’s… With chops like his, did he really need the additional polyphony? 😉
Boy the audio in the above video sure is jacked! Some nice music comes burgling to the surface through all the years and degradation.
Awesome find! Anybody know if he released any albums with his synth work?
Where is Billfusion.. ? LOL
bitchin tracksuit, homie
He was also a keen photographer 🙂 https://luminous-landscape.com/videos/luminous-landscape-video-journal-issue-7/interview-oscar-peterson/
I saw Oscar play on number of occasions and knew he was into synths but this is the first time I’ve seen anything. Thank you, thank you sooooo much for finding this.
Richard – thanks for the link, as a musician and avid landscape photographer myself, really enjoyed the video.
Lovely video, are there any clean recordings of Oscar Peterson’s synth works?
https://www.synthtopia.com/content/2009/03/19/oscar-peterson-roland-pianoplus-tb-303-tr-606/
The question posed in this write-up still stands…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI-4HNQg1JI
“When I hear that sound, it causes me to write a tune like this.”