Oliver Jones (born on September 11, 1934 in Little Burgundy, Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian Jazz Musician, organist, composer and arranger.
He began his career as a pianist at the age of five, studying with Mme. Bonner in Little Burgundy's Union United Church, made famous by Trevor W. Payne's Montreal Jubilation Choir.
However, for the most part, he developed his talent through his studies with Oscar Peterson's sister Daisy Peterson Sweeney. In addition to performing at Union United Church when he was a child, he also performed a solo novelty act at the Cafe St. Michel as well as other clubs and theaters in the Montreal area.
He toured with a band called the Bandwagon while touring in the United States.
In late 1980 he teamed up with Montreal's Charlie Biddle, working in and around local clubs and hotel lounges in Montreal. In fact he worked in and was resident pianist at Charlie Biddle's Jazz club, appropriately called Biddle's from 1981 to 1986. During the 1980s he was one of Canada's success stories amongst jazz musicians and has performed with Ranee Lee.
He was travelling throughout Canada by the mid-1980s, appearing at festivals, concerts and clubs, either as a solo artist or with a trio: Skip Bey, Bernard Primeau, and Archie Alleyne. His travels have taken him all around the world but Montreal is close to his heart.
Charlie Biddle lived most of his life in Montreal, Quebec, however he did not become a Canadian Citizen until his last years.
After completing military duties in the US Armed Forces during World War II, serving in China, India and Burma, he went on to study music at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he started playing bass.
In 1948, he arrived in Montreal while touring with Vernon Isaac's Three Jacks and a Jill. Biddle was fascinated by the fact that in Canada, particularly Quebec, you would see black Jazz Musicians playing alongside white jazz musicians as the best of friends.
Impressed with the opened-mindedness of the people of Canada in matters of race, he decided to settle down in Montreal, and fell in love with a French-Canadian woman. The two eventually married and raised three daughters Sonya, Stephanie and Tracy and a son, Charles Biddle Jr.
Biddle was employed as a car salesman from 1954 to 1972, while performing with pianists Charlie Ramsey, Miult Sealey, Alfie Wade, Sadik Hakim, and Stan Patrick in local Montreal nightclubs. As a promoter, he booked musicians Johnny Hodges, John Coltrane, Pepper Adams, Bill Evans, Art Farmer, Tommy Flanagan and Thad Jones to perform in Montreal.
He performed off and on with guitarist Nelson Symonds between 1959 and 1978. Between 1961 and 1963 they performed together under Biddle's leadership at Dunn's, La Tête de l'Art, etc.; and under Symonds' leadership at the Black Bottom from 1964 to 1968. As a duo, they performed at several resort communities in the Laurentians between 1974 and 1978.
He was an important supporter and promoter of Jazz music in Montreal. He frequently organized outdoor festivals of local jazz musicians, particularly Jazz Chez Nous, a 3-day Jazz Festival in 1979 and another in 1983 which laid the foundation for the Montreal International Jazz Festival, now the world's largest jazz festival.
A Great part of the weave of our history...
Enjoy!!
Dave
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