The “Maharajah of the Keyboard,” as Duke Ellington dubbed Oscar Peterson—or, to his friends, simply O.P.—would have turned one hundred in August, reason enough to remember the consummate Canadian pianist at that hallowed house of jazz, Birdland in New York City. In the nimble hands of Peterson protege Makoto Ozone, bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton, memory begat celebration, as these masterful musicians joined forces to bring back the jazz giant in words and music.
