Oliver Jones, acclaimed jazz pianist, composer, musical director and one of Canada’s most esteemed musical legends, passed away yesterday evening in Montreal at the age of 91.
The news of his passing was announced last night on social media via musician Simon Fauteux’s Instagram post on behalf of Jones’ family and his record label, Justin Time Records:
Oliver Jones’ family and the team at Justin Time Records are deeply saddened to announce his passing today in Montreal. An exceptional musician, a gentle soul and a friend who touched so many live, his kindness and immense talent left a lasting mark on so many people and generations, and his memory will continue to inspire us.
He will be profoundly missed. We kindly ask that his family’s privacy be respected as they grieve this tremendous loss. Merci / Thank you
Born Oliver Theophilus Jones on September 11, 1934 to Barbadian parents, Jones grew up in Montreal’s Little Burgundy, a historic Black community which was also home to another musical family, the Petersons, most notably Oscar Peterson and his sister Daisy Peterson Sweeney.
A child prodigy, Jones officially started playing the piano at the age of five, studying under Madame Bonner at Little Burgundy’s Union United Church which where he held his first concert. At eight years old, he continued his studies under Daisy Peterson Sweeney, an accomplished organist and music teacher in her own right who founded the Black Community Youth Choir now known as the Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir.
As a teen, Jones started performing at various clubs throughout Montreal, including a solo act at Café St. Michel and Rockhead’s Paradise, one of Canada’s first Black-owned nightclubs and a must-see travel destination for tourists visiting Montreal. It was also a space for burgeoning Black musicians to hone their craft and have the platform to perform their work in front of a live audience.
During the 1950s and early 1960s, Oliver Jones entered the next phase of his career as a touring musician with the jazz band Bandwagon which took him throughout Quebec and the United States, specifically Vermont. However in 1964, he met Jamaican Calypsonian Kenny Hamilton and became the musical director for his orchestra, based in Puerto Rico. Jones would spend 16 years away from the jazz scene until he returned to Montreal in 1980 and became the resident pianist at Biddle’s, owned by fellow jazz musician and bassist Charlie Biddle. “I didn’t have the chance to play jazz,” Jones said in an interview years later. “But I was always listening.”
Music manager Jim West heard Jones playing at Biddle’s, which served as the inspiration for him to start a record label as a way to amplify Canadian music. Oliver Jones Live at Biddle’s Jazz & Ribs was the first record released on Justin Time Records in 1983. He would go on to release 25 albums, including Lights of Burgundy (1985), Just Friends (1989), Have Fingers, Will Travel (1997), Then & Now (2002) and his final album Just For My Lady (2013). In 1990, he was the subject of the Martin Duckworth documentary, Oliver Jones in Africa, which chronicled his tour in Nigeria while reflecting on the African influences and contributions to mainstream music.
For his contributions to Canadian music, Oliver Jones was awarded the Order of Canada in 1993, a recipient of the Félix Award five times, and received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in 1999. He won two JUNO awards for Best Traditional Jazz Album in 1986 and 2009. In 2023, Jones was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Although he retired from active touring in the 2010s, he graced the stage at Massey Hall last summer at the age of 90 for Oscar Peterson at 100 celebration.
JAZZ.FM91 had the privilege of being in community with Oliver Jones, who made it a point to stop by the station whenever he was in town. Voice Tracks host Dani Elwell shared in her social media tribute, “We were so blessed to have him….thank you for all of the music and the smiles.” Dinner Jazz host John Devenish remembers him as “a musical griot” who was “a beacon for and of the Black music community in Canada and beyond.”
Jones is survived by his partner Monique and several friends and loved ones. No funeral arrangements have been announced at this time.