Remembering the world premiere of Oscar Peterson’s Africa Suite

Kelly Peterson, widow of jazz great Oscar Peterson (1925-2007), wrote this essay about her husband’s suite titled Africa, inspired by Nelson Mandela and the campaign for human rights in apartheid-era South Africa, ahead of the work’s world premiere in 2020. The work will be presented in a rare live performance at an SCP Jazz concert on June 13, with an all-star ensemble of Oscar Peterson’s protégé Benny Green (piano), Christian McBride (bass), Lewis Nash (drums) and Dan Wilson (guitar), led by composer-arranger John Clayton. 

Thirty years ago — almost exactly, Feb. 11, 1990 — Oscar and I watched expectantly, breathlessly, exultantly as Nelson Mandela walked out of prison in South Africa, a free man.

Ten years earlier, Oscar was composing Africa, his suite inspired in part by Mandela and the intense struggle for human rights in apartheid South Africa. As he completed pieces of the suite, he added three to his concert repertoire: Nigerian Marketplace, Peace (written with great hope for South Africa), and The Fallen Warrior (written for and dedicated to the imprisoned Mr. Mandela). Fortunately, some of these performances were captured on live concert recordings.

Eight years after his release from prison, on Sept. 25, 1998, President Mandela was in Toronto to launch the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund of Canada during an event hosted by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien at the SkyDome. He was greeted with a thundering ovation by 40,000 students and teachers, and by a special guest of Mr. Chrétien’s: Oscar Peterson.

It was a deeply profound experience for Oscar when Prime Minister Chrétien introduced him to President Mandela, a moment he would never forget, and one that Chrétien counts among his most memorable, too. On that same day, we learned that President Mandela had never heard The Fallen Warrior, or any of Oscar’s music. All of Oscar’s recordings, along with so much other music, were banned in apartheid-era South Africa. It was with humble pride that Oscar sent his album titled "Freedom Song" (1982) to Mr. Mandela, so that he could hear, at last, The Fallen Warrior (which Peterson had written in tribute to the statesman).

Thirty years ago, Oscar and I watched expectantly, breathlessly, exultantly, as Nelson Mandela walked out of prison in South Africa, a free man. Eight years later, we greeted him with hugs and exuberant smiles.

Tonight I am filled with gladness to recognize this momentous anniversary as we present to you the world premiere of Oscar Peterson’s Africa. May the music reverberate in honoring these two remarkable men and their legacies, and may it fill you with gladness and inspire joy and human kindness.

Kelly Peterson, Feb. 12, 2020