What yesterday was a strong, unbreakable and admirable friendship and love, today is a memory. This is a consequence that time unfortunately has the ability to enact on us as it so chooses. My fifty-two year friendship and musical commitment to Norman Granz came to an abrupt end on Thursday, November 22, when he finally succumbed to the dreaded disease we all know as Cancer.
It would be trivial of me to say that I am bereaved. In reality, I feel that I have been drained of a creative substance and an unerring friendship by his passing. I do not believe that a friendship coupled with a creative commitment in the world of Jazz that spanned better than half a century that is suddenly terminated by powers beyond our reach can easily be healed.

I will not use this space to espouse Norman's deeply rooted commitment not only to Jazz, but most certainly to civil rights; I have already stated these facts in an earlier section of the Journal when I received the Lincoln Center Lifetime Achievement Award for Norman, due to his ailing inability to be there himself.

The Jazz world, in my opinion, owes a monumental debt to Norman, and the continuing fight for civil rights does so also.

At this moment I cannot say whether I will continue my performances as before, due to the tremendous hurt inside me. Time alone will answer this question as I mourn the passing of my best friend and mentor.


©2000 Oscar Peterson