Barry Avrich and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film Oscar Peterson: Black & White, generosity, fear and confidence, music as a universal, the civil rights movement and Oscar’s Hymn To Freedom, and the alchemy of music.

Learn more about Barry here and watch the film streaming Crave and HBO.

Synopsis:

Oscar Peterson: Black & White is a ground-breaking “docu-concert” that deeply explores the life and legacy of jazz icon and composer, Oscar Peterson: his sound, stardom, and cult of virtuoso. Oscar Peterson is the one jazz figure who had, and still has, the larger-than-life quality of jazz royalty. Other jazz artists from Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole to Duke Ellington and John Coltrane became legends but Oscar, like Picasso or Mozart, had an undeniable style rooted not just in his genius but in his relentless performances and personality. The documentary delves into the seven-decade career of the musical genius: from his days as a child prodigy to the development of his signature sound on recordings with his trio, from his collaborations with huge stars to his shifts to brilliant solo performances around the world — as well as his tenacious experiences confronting racism and segregation while touring in the United States which culminated in his epic composition of Hymn to Freedom. 

Set against a backdrop of civil rights and racial discrimination, this “docu-concert” will examine an extraordinary life journey, from prodigy to legend.

There was only one Oscar Peterson. As the man himself prophesied, “Ain’t but a few of us left.”

About Barry:

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker, Barry Avrich is responsible for over 50 documentaries and best known for provocative exposes of Hollywood power brokers such as Lew Wasserman (The Last Mogul), Harvey Weinstein (The Reckoning), Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World, David Foster: Off the Record and the critically acclaimed film Prosecuting Evil.

Avrich has also produced the Scotiabank Giller Prize and Canadian Screen Awards broadcasts. In 2007, Avrich built the world’s first state-of-the-art movie theatre in a hospital at Toronto’s SickKids. Barry Avrich also directs and produces the prestigious Stratford Festival 'Stage to Screen' films.

In 2016, Avrich released his best-selling memoir, Moguls, Monsters and Madmen.

Image Copyright and Credit: Melbar Entertainment Group/Barry Avrich

F2F Music and Image Copyright: David Peck and Face2Face. Used with permission.

For more information about David Peck’s podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit his site here.

With thanks to Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound.

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