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BILLBOARD CANADA FYI
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Oliver Jones
FYI
Obituaries: Canadian Hall of Fame Jazz Pianist Oliver Jones, Pink Panther Saxophonist Plas Johnson
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Sun Records rockabilly artist Vernon Taylor.
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Oliver Theophilus Jones, a Montreal-born jazz pianist, composer and educator whose long and illustrious career earned him induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, died on July 22, at the age of 91.
The news of his passing was announced on social media via Simon Fauteux’s Instagram post on behalf of Jones’ family and his longtime record label, Justin Time Records: ''Oliver Jones’ family and the team at Justin Time Records are deeply saddened to announce his passing today in Montreal.
''An exceptional musician, a gentle soul and a friend who touched so many live, his kindness and immense talent left a lasting mark on so many people and generations, and his memory will continue to inspire us. He will be profoundly missed.''
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In a tribute posted on social media, the Canadian Music Hall of Fame reported that ''It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Oliver Jones, one of Canada's most celebrated jazz musicians and a towering figure in our musical history. A gifted pianist, composer, educator, and mentor, Montreal-born Dr. Jones devoted his life to his craft, captivating audiences around the world while inspiring generations of Canadian artists.''
''Dr. Jones' artistry, generosity, and unwavering commitment to Canadian music leave an enduring legacy that extends far beyond the stage. His influence can be heard in the countless musicians he inspired and in the lasting impact he made on Canada's cultural landscape.' We are grateful for his extraordinary contributions to our musical community.''
Jim West, Jones' manager and founder and head of his label, Justin Time Records, sent Billboard Canada a tribute and biographical information.
''Oliver's remarkable musical journey began at the age of five, playing piano at Union United Church in Montreal," he writes. ''By the time he made his first nightclub appearance, he was just nine years old. He studied with Daisy Peterson Sweeney — Oscar Peterson's sister and one of Canada's most influential music teachers — who also taught Oscar. After performing in clubs throughout the Montreal area for several years, Oliver moved to Puerto Rico, where he spent 15 years as a member of the Kenny Hamilton Showband.''
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Jones' early experience included performing a solo novelty act at the Café St. Michel as well as other clubs and theatres in the Montreal area. He later recalled that '"I had a trick piano act, dancing, doing the splits, playing from underneath the piano, or with a sheet over the keys."
His touring included dates in Vermont and Quebec with a band called Bandwagon, and in 1953–63 he played mainly in the Montreal area, prior to relocating to Puerto Rico to work with Hamilton.
Jones could be described as a late bloomer in that he was already in his fifties when he was discovered by the jazz world. Writing in AllMusic, jazz critic Scott Yanow notes that ''It was not until he returned to Montreal from Puerto Rico in 1980 that he committed himself to playing jazz full-time. Since the mid-'80s, Oliver Jones recorded extensively for Justin Time and established himself as a major modern mainstream player with impressive technique and a hard-swinging style.''
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In a 1988 interview with author and fellow jazz pianist Bill King for Jazz Report, Jones reminisced that ''When I came back in 1980 my intention was to return to the studio more than anything else. I’d gained a lot of experience working in Puerto Rico, mainly arranging for singers, and that’s really what I wanted to do.
''All of this — what’s happening now — comes as quite a shock, especially so late in my career. Regardless, I’m very, very happy about what’s going on. For me, life begins at 52.''
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In late 1980, Jones teamed up with Montreal's Charlie Biddle, working local clubs and hotel lounges in the city. Jones was resident pianist at Biddle's jazz club, Biddles, from 1981 to 1986, and his first album, Live at Biddles Jazz & Ribs, recorded in 1983, was the first record on the Justin Time label.
Jim West tells Billboard Canada that ''My professional relationship with Oliver began in 1983 when we founded Justin Time Records and released our first album, Live at Biddle's Jazz & Ribs. Oliver was 48. I was 28. Neither of us could have imagined that this recording would mark the beginning of a wonderful 43-year friendship. Over an extraordinary 77-year career, Oliver released 22 albums and one concert DVD.'' His final Justin Time album, Just For My Lady, was released in 2013.
In an interview with Bill King, West recalled that ''We did five thousand copies in no time on that first record with Oliver. It only took me three days to record and mix. I thought it was easy. You do the math, and its good money. Not every record does that. During his heyday, Oliver was doing between ten and fifteen thousand.'' In the Canadian jazz market, those are impressive sales figures.
By the mid-1980s, Jones was travelling throughout Canada, appearing at festivals, concerts and clubs, either as a solo artist or with a trio: Skip Bey, Bernard Primeau, and Archie Alleyne. His travels also took him to Europe during this period.
His tour of Nigeria was the subject of a 1990 National Film Board of Canada documentary, Oliver Jones in Africa. Jim West reports that ''Oliver toured extensively around the world, and I was fortunate to accompany him on many of those tours. One journey, in particular, has stayed with me. In 1988 we toured Egypt, Nigeria, and Côte d'Ivoire. I travelled ahead to organize the concerts, and when I returned home Oliver called to ask how everything had gone.
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''After hearing about the venues, he asked a question that perfectly captured who he was: 'Can we arrange a free concert for young people in every city? Many of them would never be able to afford a ticket.' That's exactly what we did. Those concerts became one of the most memorable experiences I ever shared with Oliver. They reflected his generosity, his compassion, and his unwavering belief that music should be accessible to everyone, especially young people. That was Oliver Jones.''
In the decades following, Oliver Jones was an in-demand artist on the jazz club and festival circuit, across Canada and further afield, and he remained prolific as a recording artist for Justin Time.
His music appears in the NFB animated short film, Black Soul. In 1998, Jones wrote, arranged and performed the original score to the documentary film, Season of Change (Rightime Productions), about baseball legend Jackie Robinson's season with the Montreal Royals baseball club in 1946.
Jones also taught music at Laurentian University from 1987 to 1995, and at McGill University from 1988 to 1995.
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His distinguished career has been celebrated with many honours and awards. His recordings earned nine Félix Awards from ADISQ and two Juno Awards (for best traditional jazz album in 1986 and 2009, for Lights of Burgundy and Second Time Around, respectively). He was appointed to the Order of Quebec and made an Officer of the Order of Canada (in 1993) and he received a Martin Luther King Jr. Award and five honourary doctorates.
Jones received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and, in 1999, a special achievement award at the SOCAN Awards in Toronto. In 2013, Canada Post honoured Dr. Jones with a commemorative stamp celebrating Black History in Canada. He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2023. In September 2017 the documentary Oliver Jones | Mind Hands Heart premiered at the Montreal International Black Film Festival. The film goes behind the scenes at his final concert at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in July 2016 as well as his swansong concert in Barbados.
West observes that ''Despite all the recognition, Oliver remained one of the most humble people I have ever known. Awards and accolades never defined him. What mattered most was mentoring young people, encouraging the next generation, and helping youth discover both their talent and their place in society.
''Oliver and Oscar Peterson shared enormous admiration and respect for one another. Oliver never hesitated to describe Oscar as the greatest jazz pianist who ever lived. Although they were close friends for many years, one of Oliver's proudest career moments came on July 10, 2004, when the two shared the stage at the Montreal International Jazz Festival.''
''In early 2016, Oliver announced that he would retire from professional performance. His final full concert took place in Barbados in January 2017, a fitting tribute to his parents and the values they instilled in him.''
One of his final appearances was at Massey Hall last summer at the age of 90 when he appeared at the star-studded Oscar Peterson at 100 celebration. In an interview with JAZZFM's Brad Barker in 2023, Jones stated that Peterson was ''always a very important part of my dream of playing at that level. But the one who really was in my corner all the time was his sister, Daisy [Sweeney]. She may have spotted something there many years before.
''Then after I had played with so many other piano players over the years, finally, someone that I knew intimately and had spoken to every day during my youth, I finally had the opportunity to sit down and play with him. What a thrill it was for me.''
In that interview, Jones also reflected that ''I noticed that within the last 10 or 15 years, so many Canadians have stepped up and are now really considered world-class musicians. That is something that, as a youngster and even into my twenties and thirties, was not prominent. It’s wonderful.
''Tomorrow I’ll see Robi Botos, one of Oscar’s favourite young players. And of course my sister Ranee Lee, who I love and have worked with so often. I knew Vic Vogel since we were 14 or 15 years old. Just before his passing, I realized that we had come through a lot together. I’ll miss all those that have gone, but I know that we’ll continue to produce and, hopefully, support so many other young ones coming up.''
West concludes his Billboard Canada tribute by stressing that ''Oliver Jones will be remembered not only as one of Canada's greatest jazz musicians, but also as a man of exceptional humility, kindness, and generosity. His music will endure. So will his example. He leaves an immeasurable void, but an even greater legacy.''
These sentiments were reinforced and amplified in a large number of eloquent tributes posted on social media or sent to Billboard Canada. Here is a selection:
Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (on Facebook): ''It is with immense sadness that we learned of the passing of Oliver Jones. A true pillar of the Festival, he was part of our story for more than 30 years and remains one of its most iconic artists. Among many unforgettable moments, his two-piano concert with his friend and mentor Oscar Peterson during the Festival’s 25th anniversary in 2004 will forever be remembered. Today, we imagine them picking up their musical conversation right where they left off.
''A remarkable musician, Oliver Jones was also a humble, generous man of rare grace, deeply committed to supporting the next generation. His smile, his kindness, and his music have left an enduring mark on our Festival, our city, and generations of music lovers. Thank you, Oliver. Your legacy will live on.''
Renowned Canadian jazz critic and author Mark Miller posted this on Facebook: ''There are many FB posts today about Oliver Jones on news of his passing. I’ll leave the biographical and musical commentary to others this morning and just add that the first words that came to my mind were 'unfailingly gracious. I mean, he dedicated his tune 'Mark My Time' to me — a critic. Or at least I was then.''
Veteran Toronto music publicist Jane Harbury worked with Oliver Jones and his label, Justin Time. She sent Billboard Canada this tribute: ''What stays in my memory is, of course, his incredible playing but also his gentleness, his attention to detail and his pure lack of pretension. I've always thought that to be a sign of greatness and Oliver's lack of 'don't you know how great I am' only elevated him in my eyes. He ranked so highly in my world.''
Jean-Pierre Leduc, a longtime executive at Justin Time, posted his tribute on Facebook: ''Oliver Jones was one of the most kind, thoughtful people I’ve ever met, in addition to being a giant of music in this country and of this province, where he enjoyed an enduring, well-deserved notoriety in the cultural milieu, in multiple genres, but especially jazz.
''Oliver was a huge inspiration to the countless emerging artists he regularly championed, as well as being an esteemed colleague to his peers, from the hometown talents he grew up with to the world-renowned giants he played with. To namecheck one of his own recordings, he was 'A Class Act.'
''I worked with him extensively during my two decades at Justin Time, and considered him a friend (there’s also a complicity between Virgos). The label itself was launched with his signing, and will forever be associated with him. Writing this, so many wonderful memories are conjured, of concerts, studio sessions in Montreal, great times in New York, at Orford, at award shows, gala evenings and dinners. It was always a joy to be with Oliver, to share a laugh or to talk about the music we loved. I’ll miss him very much.''
Grammy-nominated and Juno-winning pianist/composer/vocalist Laila Biali posted on Facebook that ''Last year I had the incredible privilege of sharing the stage with one of Canada’s icons, in celebration of another Canadian icon. Oliver Jones was the highlight of an evening packed with some of the best music I’ve ever heard, all in tribute to Oscar Peterson.
''We were left breathless as the 90-year old coaxed the most tender chords out of his late friend’s Bösendorfer. Massey Hall will always resonate with the memory of that historic moment. This September, Oliver’s birthday month, we will air a special long play on Saturday Night Jazz to honour the brilliant canon of music he leaves us with. You are forever with us, Oliver Jones — in music and in spirit.''
Acclaimed Toronto jazz vocalist Dione Taylor, on Facebook: ''I had the great fortune and blessed opportunity to be mentored by Oliver Jones through the GG Performing Arts Awards. We spent meaningful time talking about the history of jazz in Canada and we also got the chance to perform together numerous times over the years.
''His sweet and gentle spirit inspired me to embrace authenticity and to always reach for the stars. Sometimes there’s a certain arrogance that some musicians proudly flaunt because they think that they can 'hear' and 'feel' better than others. I never got that feeling from Mr. Jones. In fact, I felt more of a curiosity and willingness to connect with people where they are present and the willingness to create meaningful moments together. And for that, I am truly grateful for the chance to breathe and to sing in the same air as Oliver Jones. #RIP 💔''
Phil Vassell, executive director of the Canada Black Music Archives (CBMA) forwarded this tribute to Billboard Canada: ''Oliver Jones carved out his own space from Oscar Peterson to become a national and international jazz icon. Taught by Oscar Peterson’s older sister Daisy Peterson Sweeney, Oliver and Oscar are both proud sons of Little Burgundy in Montreal. While mastering an African American art form, these two giants of jazz took pride in their Caribbean and African ancestry.''
Toronto jazz radio station JAZZFM posted that ''We had the privilege of being in community with Oliver Jones, who made it a point to stop by the station whenever he was in town. Voice Tracks host Dani Elwell shared in her social media tribute, “We were so blessed to have him….thank you for all of the music and the smiles.” Dinner Jazz host John Devenish remembers him as “a musical griot” who was “a beacon for and of the Black music community in Canada and beyond.”
Toronto jazz luminary Jane Bunnett, a fellow Juno winner and Order of Canada recipient, recalls her main interaction with Jones to Billboard Canada: ''It was at a concert at Harbourfront in Toronto to celebrate the release of Nelson Mandela. Oliver and I were both invited performers and I suggested to him that together we could play 'Big Alice,' a tune by [noted U.S. pianist] Don Pullen and he readily agreed. I had recorded it on my first album. Oliver loved the tune and played it beautifully.''
''He was so diplomatic and lovely to work with. I keep seeing in Facebook posts that he had a very graceful demeanour and that was very true. He was a lovely person. and a great musician.''
Just prior to Jones' passing, fellow jazz pianist and composer Bill King posted an homage on his Substack. King observes that ''What really struck me about Oliver was that career pivot: the move from cruise ship work to becoming the dream itself. A frontman. A traveller. A pianist moving around the world with admirers waiting on every side of the planet. I even scored a CD cover with a photo taken from Montreal Bistro [a Toronto jazz club that often hosted Jones], a room that carried its own kind of history.''
Jazz artist, impresario and broadcaster Jaymz Bee befriended Oliver Jones and paid him eloquent homage on his Substack, recalling the celebration of Oscar Peterson concert at Massey Hall. ''It was Oliver Jones who got the biggest ovation of the evening. He was using a cane by then. He needed help to the bench. And then he sat down, and the cane, the years, all of it fell away, and he became someone else entirely, the way he always did the second his hands found the keys. Massey Hall went completely out of its mind. I'm so glad that's the memory I get to keep, him at ninety, still able to turn a room like that.''
In a note to Billboard Canada, Bee adds that ''Oliver had the kindest disposition. I always thought he would be everybody's favourite uncle.''
International
Plas (John) Johnson Jr., an American soul-jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist best known as the saxophone soloist on Henry Mancini’s "The Pink Panther Theme,'' died on July 15, at the age of 94. He also performed on alto and baritone sax as well as various flutes and clarinets over a long career.
In its obituary, NPR calls him ''a Hollywood session legend whose playing shaped decades of music.''
Louisiana-born, he sang with his family's group until his saxophonist father bought him a soprano sax. He and his pianist brother Ray first recorded as the Johnson Brothers in New Orleans in the late 1940s. He first toured with R&B star Charles Brown in 1951.
After serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, he and his brother moved to Los Angeles in 1954, and he soon began session recordings as a full-time musician, backing artists such as B.B. King and Johnny Otis as well as scores of other R&B performers. Maxwell Davis hired him to take over his own parts so that he could concentrate on producing sessions for the Modern record label.
Recruited by Johnny Otis and executive Dave Cavanaugh for Capitol Records in the mid-1950s, Johnson also played on innumerable records by Peggy Lee, Nat "King" Cole, Glen Gray, Frank Sinatra, and others. He remained a leading session player for almost twenty years, averaging two sessions a day and playing everything from movie soundtracks and Les Baxter's exotica albums, to rock and roll singles by many artists including Duane Eddy, Ricky Nelson, and Bobby Vee, and R&B records performers including Larry Williams, Bobby Day, and Richard Berry.
He played on many of the Beach Boys’ records, and is featured in the 2008 documentary The Wrecking Crew regarding his experience in LA studios at the time.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Johnson was a regular member of Henry Mancini's studio orchestra and in 1963 he recorded "The Pink Panther Theme," written by Mancini with Johnson in mind Johnson said of the recording: "We only did two takes, I think... When we finished, everyone applauded -- even the string players. And that's saying something... They never applaud for anything."
He joined the studio band for the Merv Griffin Show in 1970, and also played with a number of jazz and swing bands of the period. He later recorded for the Concord label, worked with the Capp-Pierce Juggernaut, and toured in 1990 with the Gene Harris Superband.
Beginning with a self-titled album in 1956, Johnson released 15 albums as a leader or co-leader, up until 2008's All Blues with Ernie Watts. Johnson's credits as a sideman include work on albums by Chet Baker, Ry Cooder, Sam Cooke, Benny Carter, Riya Coolidge, Boz Skaggs, Bobby Darin, Dr. John, Neil Diamond, Marvin Gaye, Elton John, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell, B.B. King, Carole King, Bette Midler, Aaron Neville, Maria Muldaur, Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, Tom Waits and Steely Dan.
Vernon Taylor (born Vernon Walton Alderton), a rockabilly musician signed to legendary Sun Records, died on July 12, at age 88.
A biography on the Sun Records website notes that ''Taylor grew up on a farm and listened to hillbilly music as a child. At the age of fifteen he formed a group called The Nighthawks with two of his schoolmates. While they were still in high school, Curley Smith performed in town; Taylor asked Smith if The Nighthawks could play in between sets. The Nighthawks’ performance was so well-received that Smith eventually fired his backing band, The Blue Mountain Boys, and replaced them with The Nighthawks. However, when Smith was offered a steady gig in Arkansas, The Nighthawks declined to follow him, preferring to stay local in Virginia.
''In 1957, Taylor was offered a spot on a Saturday night television show broadcast out of Washington, D.C., which he kept for over three years. He was offered a contract with Dot Records, and performed on American Bandstand, as well as on regional television broadcasts throughout the eastern half of the United States. In 1958 Sun Records founder-producer Sam Phillips signed him to the label and released a few singles produced by Jack Clement and Phillips.''
One of those singles, ''Today Is A Blue Day,'' was written by Elvis songwriter Jack Clement, known for his work with Elvis Presley.
Taylor never scored a hit, and his involvement in the music industry waned over the course of the 1960s and he retired at the end of that decade. In 1989, he was asked to play at a benefit concert for Charlie Feathers, which led to a comeback career.
He went on to perform in the United Kingdom and had a re-release of his Sun and Dot material on Germany‘s Eagle Records. In 1999, Run Wild Records released a 12-song CD of newly-recorded material by Vernon, titled Daddy’s Rockin'.
Sick of it All frontman Lou Koller has died at 59. Read more via Billboard here.
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