On July 22, we received the sad news that the wonderful Oliver Jones had passed away at the age of 91. Throughout his career, Oliver demonstrated an artistry and creative offerings that showcased his immense talent as well as the purity of his heart. When you were in the audience you could almost sense Oliver’s humility and kindness, along with his immeasurable respect for and love of the music. If audiences could sense it, you know his bandmates and fellow musicians felt it in spaces. Drummer, bandleader, and educator Jim Doxas was not only a member of Oliver’s trio for many years, he was also a dear friend of the Canadian jazz legend. Jim joined me on the line from Stratford, ON, where he was a part of the Stratford Summer Music Festival’s Jazz Academy.
Exclusive: Jim Doxas pays tribute to Oliver Jones
First of all, I’m so sorry for your loss. I know that Oliver was 91, but there were more than a few times when there was talk that he might retire, but didn’t seem quite ready to get there. At times, it felt as if he might go on forever. How shocked were you to get this news?
He was definitely slowing down. Last year, I was a part of the Oscar Peterson Tribute Year along with Robi Botos and Mike Downes, organized by Celine Peterson. Oliver played on a lot of these concerts with us, up until December he would do the tour with us. If we were in Montreal, he would come up on stage at the end of the evening and play a few tunes which was remarkable. His connection with Mr. Peterson was so deep and real, both personally and musically, to have him as a part of these shows were amazing. We also played at Massey Hall this time last year, so he was still getting to the piano. Although he was frail and moving a lot slower, when he sat behind the piano, his voice opened up. It was a part of him and an extension of who he was. So he played with us and then over the last couple of month started to decline so it was not a surprise when it happened. I had a lot of good chats with him over the last couple of months and he was at peace, he was an incredible person.
Are there any stories that stand out in your mind that represented who Oliver was not only as a musician but also as a person and Canadian?
One of the things that is amazing was that Oliver was a great pianist. He also had a magical ability to connect with people and connect with the audience. If you were at an Oliver show, in the over 15 years of playing together, people would come up to me after a show and say, ‘I felt as though Oliver was playing to me tonight,’ and there would be 500, 600 people in the hall. His ability to connect with individuals was really remarkable, I’d never seen anything like it. Above and beyond his piano-playing, there was something so real and honest…I don’t know what it is but it was constant throughout Oliver’s career.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity