Interview with Canadian Guitarist Lorne Lofsky (remembering Oscar Peterson)

By londonjazz on 16 January 2020 • ( 1 Comment )

“I certainly had a great kick at the can.” Canadian guitarist Lorne Lofsky first met Oscar Peterson in the early 1980s, and it was not long before Peterson and Norman Granz offered to produce his debut recording. He was then a member of the great pianist’s group, from 1994 until 1996. In this conversation with Sebastian in London in November 2019, he remembers those episodes of his career: Lorne Lofsky interview by LondonJazz SYNOPSIS OF PODCAST Story of Lorne Lofsky’s first recording at age 26 (0:40 George’s Spaghetti House in Toronto, 0:51 Jiro (Butch) Watanabe , 0:55 Missisauga, 2:43 Norman Granz) MUSIC EXTRACT: 04: 55 Nancy with the Laughing Face Story of Lorne Lofsky’s early live dates playing with OP “he really wanted to help me” (6: 40 Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival, 7:12 John Heard and Terry Clarke, 7: 20 Dizzy Gillespie, 8:25 guest on OP’s CBC radio show, 8:50 9 nights at the Northwoods Inn, Edmonton Alberta, 9:02 Dave Young, 9:45 “Sweet Georgia Brown at the speed of light…”, 11:23 “I learnt a lesson…”) 1994-1996 The three years Lorne Lofsky spent as a member of Oscar’s trio (12:00 the three recordings they made, 12:41 OP’s way as a bandleader, 13:36 a date at Barbican Hall in London, 14:30 Oscar’s generous side, 15: 22 What brought it to an end, 15:38 NHOP and Ulf Wakenius) MUSIC EXTRACT: 16: 15: Nighttime from Oscar in Paris