Brownstein: Oliver Jones prepares to talk, not play, jazz at art exhibit

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Oliver Jones has been adamant that his playing days are behind him. He insists that he will speak, not play, jazz on Wednesday at 1 pm in the Arts at the Cathedral exhibit at Christ Church Cathedral.

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“I’m about to turn 88. It’s hard to play ‘the 88’ (piano) at 88,” jokes Jones sitting in the pews of the cathedral. “I have been retired for the last three and a half years. But with the jazz festival in full swing, I’ll talk about the connection between jazz and spirituality.”

Yes, but in dozens of rows in the cathedral stands an experienced Yamaha in need of a partner. Can their magnetic forces bring Jones back to the piano once more?

Uh huh.

In what is supposed to be simply a photo shoot, it turns into a brief but fascinating concert with Jones once again paralyzed, radiant and returning to his former self. He receives an enthusiastic ovation from the few spectators present. The body may be a bit broken and bent in places, but the hands are as smooth as ever and the spirit is still there.

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Truly a Montreal moment.

It is probably no accident that the tune Jones has so deftly tickled the ivories is Oscar Peterson’s Hymn to Freedom.

Jones’s most memorable evening of all time took place at the 2004 jazz festival, when he joined his childhood neighbor, mentor and St-Henri hero Peterson to play Hymn to Freedom and Just Friends. It was one of the last performances for Peterson, then ill.

“It was like a dream come true,” recalls Jones, flashing his trademark shy smile. “I will never forget that night. Without Oscar and his sister and my teacher Daisy (Peterson Sweeney), I never would have been as successful as I have been. They believed in me and pushed me to places I never imagined I would go.”

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But he has. There are few Montrealers more beloved than Jones. Retired or not, Jones is still seen by many as Canada’s leading jazz pianist. With two dozen albums to his credit and two huge murals in his likeness with views of his roots in the city, Jones has won numerous Juno and Felix Awards. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Knight of the Order of Quebec and has received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and the Oscar Peterson Award. In tribute to him, the jazz festival will award the Oliver-Jones Award to drummer Christina Beaudry-Càrdenas on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. as part of the Le Studio TD Entrée Libre series.

All of which explains why Jones was so eager to participate in the Arts at the Cathedral exhibit, which features paintings by 10 artists, as well as occasional discussions with Ranee Lee and Jones and concerts with pianist Matt Herskowitz, who performs Wednesday at 4 pm professor and jazz aficionado Norman Cornett, the exhibition is free and will be open through Sunday.

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“The idea behind it was the need to celebrate after enduring the pandemic for two years, to go out and party,” says Cornett.

“It’s great to see the city come alive again during the jazz festival,” says Jones. “I have to remind myself again that I am retired. But even if I’m not playing, I want to be a part of it.”

Jones notes that his piano has mostly become part of the furnishings in his Côte-St-Luc apartment.

“I go through that every day. I’ll open it. Play a note. Tell my joint Monique (Leclair) that I’ve played.”

It has to be a hard habit to break. He has been essentially attached to the keyboard and pedals since he was 5 years old.

“The Peterson family had a huge influence on me. Daisy brought the world to me with all the classical studies I did with her. And one of my earliest memories was listening to Oscar, who lived just 12 doors down from me, on the back row of Union United Church. The power and size of his hands were something. And I fell in love with jazz.

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“He was always so generous with his time with me. The only time he got mad at me was after he had written new material for me to play, but I hadn’t practiced it. During that period, I thought he was an athlete and he had a big track meet. I won four or five medals, but that didn’t impress Oscar. He told me to decide what he wanted to do. So I did.”

This brings up the 2004 jazz festival, which marked the first time they played on stage together.

“I had played with Dave Brubeck and some of the best musicians in the world, but not with Oscar. There is also no rehearsal. He hadn’t touched a piano in four or five years. I had health problems. But (jazz festival boss) André Ménard was persistent, telling me that he had to do this for the 25^the anniversary. I told him that he was retired, but he suspected that he might come back. He then asked me to play Oscar in the second part of the show. I could not resist. I never heard louder applause than that night. That memory will stay with me for the rest of my life.

“Some say they can hear a little bit of Oscar come out of me and I’m very grateful for that. People may think that I don’t want to be thought of as Oscar, but I say I’m excited. He was the greatest pianist in the world.”

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