OLIVER JONES
Genres: Hard Bop, Bop, Post-Fusion Contemporary • Canada

Oliver was born and raised in Saint Henri, a predominantly working class area of Montreal, several blocks from Peterson, and young Oliver would sit on the Peterson porch, listening to the older boy practice. Oscar's sister, Daisy Peterson Sweeney, became his first piano teacher, with lessons continuing for the next twelve years. These lessons solidified young Jones' skills, which were already considerable; Oliver was performing publicly at age five, and by the time he had his first nightclub appearance, he was nine.   Oliver Jones' six-decade musical career has been rich and varied. His classical music education was followed by stints at Montreal's Café St-Michel, enthralling patrons with his acrobatic piano stunts. From his teens to his early twenties, Jones could play anything from swing to rock-n-roll; in those days playing jazz was not considered a viable career.   This diverse training proved invaluable when, in 1964, the opportunity to become musical read more...