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Children's Nonfiction Performing Arts

Oscar

The Life and Music of Oscar Peterson

by (author) Reva Marin

Publisher
Groundwood Books Ltd
Initial publish date
Jun 2008
Category
Performing Arts, African American, Jazz
Recommended Age
11 to 14
Recommended Grade
6 to 9
Recommended Reading age
11 to 14
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780888999054
    Publish Date
    Jun 2008
    List Price
    $12.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Out of print

This edition is not currently available in bookstores. Check your local library or search for used copies at Abebooks.

Description

For more than fifty years, Oscar Peterson was one of the leading players on the international jazz stage, a multi Grammy award-winner who recorded almost two hundred albums. But the man was much more than his music. His life was also a revelation and inspiration. Young people will be inspired by Oscar Peterson's musical gift, his determination to lift himself out of the poverty and the limited opportunities of his youth, and his refusal to be cowed by racial prejudice. In addition to providing a balanced and thorough picture of Peterson's life, the author introduces difficult concepts like improvisation and explains, for example, the difference between the various piano styles.

Reva Marin's journey inside the life of a musician will inspire and intrigue any young person who has taken piano lessons, played in a school band, or dreamed of starting a rock group.

The release of the paperback edition includes an updated introduction in light of Oscar Peterson’s recent death, and describes the outpouring of tributes to him from all over the world.

About the author

Reva Marin is the author of Oscar: The Life and Music of Oscar Peterson, a finalist for the 2004 Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction, and “Representations of Identity in Jewish Jazz Autobiography,” published in the Canadian Review of American Studies.

Reva Marin's profile page

Awards

  • Commended, CCBC Our Choice
  • Short-listed, Norma Fleck Non-fiction Award