The death of Oscar Peterson at the age of 82 was announced the 23rd of December 2007.

He made more than 200 albums and won eight Grammy awards, including a lifetime achievement honour in 1997.

His hallmark was the capacity to play at lightning speed, while maintaining the ability to swing.

Peterson was born in Montreal, Canada, in August 1925, and was the son of a West Indian railway porter.

He started to play jazz after listening to Benny Goodman on the radio and, at the age of 14, he won first prize in a talent competition for amateur acts.

This led to spots on Canadian radio...