Oscar Peterson © Edward Gajdel

A true legend of jazz piano descended directly from Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson will be honored at Carnegie Hall on June 8^th during the Fujitsu Jazz Festival as “The Master of Swing.” The all-star event—the first American tribute to Peterson, will include performances honoring the 82-year-old pianist by such legends as Clark Terry, Hank Jones, Billy Taylor and Marian McPartland. Originally scheduled to appear, Peterson's health will prevent him from attending.  Instead, his wife and daughter Celine will appear on his behalf.

Oscar Peterson needs little introduction to the community of jazz enthusiasts. For much of the 1950s through 1980s, at least, he was the definition of mainstream jazz for many, and his incredible discography alone assures his place in the history of jazz piano and composition. Now a decade past a stroke that threatened to end his career, Peterson selectively maintains a touring and recording schedule that belies both his years and physical limitations that thankfully have little if any impact on his ability to swing hard with that trademark touch that gives the piano romantic, playful, or majestic voice.

Geri Allen

One of the unique and most creative voices of her generation of musicians, pianist Geri Allen will be on stage at Birdland in Manhattan, backed by the formidable cast of all-star Ravi Coltrane (sax), young Rashean Carter (bass), and the legendary Jimmy Cobb (drums).

A product of the great jazz tradition of Detroit, Geri Allen studied with Marcus Belgrave, earned a degree in jazz studies at Howard University in Washington, DC (where she met husband, trumpeter Wallace Roney), a master’s degree in ethnomusicology at the University of Pittsburgh, and studied jazz piano in New York with the great Kenny Barron. In the 1980s she was a member of the M-Base Collective; in the early 90s she worked with Ornette Coleman. She has since released a series of acclaimed recordings as leader (including 2004’s Life of a Song with Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette, Zodiac Suite Revisited with the Mary Lou Williams Collective, and Timeless Portraits and Dreams) while teaching at Howard University. In 1996 she became the first woman to be awarded the Jazzpar Prize in Denmark, the only international jazz award. As a composer she has received numerous awards and commissions, including the recent “For the Healing of Nations,” commissioned by the Walt Whitman Arts Center and Meet The Composer, a sacred jazz work composed in tribute to the victims and survivors of the 9/11 tragedy that premiered on September 10, 2006.

Photo by Andrea Canter

A living legend of West Coast jazz, tenor saxman Frank Morgan and his quartet return to Jazz Standard in Manhattan, May 24-27. Riding high on a set of recent live recordings captured at this venue (High Note), Morgan's “variations gently probe the chords, shyly turning around phrases and then picking up steam with a double-time barrage. He constantly evokes Parker but he also invokes a classic approach to the instrument itself." (Gary Giddins, The Village Voice).

Frank Morgan’s energetic alto belies his 70+ years and three decades of heroin addiction. His comeback in the 1980s to the highest level of burning bop was nothing short of remarkable. The son of Ink Spots guitarist Stanley Morgan was born in Minneapolis, moved to Milwaukee at age six, and studied guitar as a young child. He was inspired to switch instruments at age seven after hearing Charlie Parker with the Jay McShann Band. Through his father, he was able to meet Parker who suggested that young Morgan start out on the clarinet. Said Morgan, “I was a little mad with Bird, because I wanted to play saxophone. I didn't understand that he thought he was getting me off to a proper start…It proved to be a blessing, insofar as I was able to develop a clarinet technique that has carried over into my saxophone playing." Within a couple years, Morgan had moved on to soprano and then alto sax.