Photo courtesy MU
A new mural was unveiled in Montreal on September 15 in honour of Oscar Peterson, the world-renowned Canadian jazz musician who died in 2007 at the age of 82. The piece is positioned opposite the park already named for him.
Local artist Gene Pendon painted the 88-m2 (950-sf) mural on a building at the corner of Rues Des Seigneurs and Saint-Jacques, within the neighbourhood of Little Burgundy where Peterson was born and raised.
“I am overwhelmed and so pleased for Oscar to be a visible part of this community for a very long time,” Kelly Peterson, the pianist’s widow, told CBC News. “It was very important to him to always keep in mind where he came from.”
The mural depicts piano notes on a scroll, representing the musician’s route through jazz history, from his early days in Little Burgundy to fame and accolades like the Order of Canada and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement.
