I recently shared to my feed this incredible breakdown of an Oscar Peterson piano solo.
Which led to this response from my friend Jeremy Cooper:
There are heroes that inspire me and always make me want to sit down and simply practice more. But then there are giants who tower so high above the landscape that I actually can only listen to just a few times a year because their performances remind me that I will simply never be that good. Oscar Peterson is one of them.
As I’ve gotten older and more appreciative of the gifts I do have, I can now listen to his music and simply bask in awe without utter dejection. It certainly helps, though, to know that Oscar himself went through a similar phase. He admitted that he nearly quit playing the piano in disgust and desperation when he first heard the recordings of his giant: Art Tatum.
I think I am going to be pondering this for awhile!
