Society for American Music Honors Billy Taylor and Oscar Peterson

The Society For American Music recognized two important jazz figures during the "Toronto 2000: Musical Intersections" Mega-Conference, November 1-5, 2000. Dr. Billy Taylor was presented with the Society's Lifetime Achievement Award, and Oscar Peterson was named an Honorary Member of the Society.

The Mega-Conference was a gathering of 15 professional music societies from the U.S. and Canada. Approximately four thousand composers, performers, and scholars attended the four-day event.

The Lifetime Achievement Award given to Billy Taylor marks only the third time the Society for American Music has bestowed this honor. The previous two recipients were both scholars: Robert Stevenson and Eileen Southern. “We thought it was appropriate to give one to Dr. Taylor because he is also a scholar, as well as a performer – his work encompasses all aspects of the field,” explained Society President Rae Linda Brown.

Billy Taylor Photo by Carol Weinberg

Taylor was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award as part of a Friday-evening session chaired by Dr. Brown. Taylor himself made a lengthy presentation, talking about his career and influences, and illustrating examples at the piano. “He is one of the few people who can play every kind of jazz there is,” Brown marveled. “Whether its ragtime or a very contemporary style, he played the music to demonstrate what he was talking about. It was a marvelous presentation.”

Billy Taylor's numerous and varied achievements have been recognized with many other honors and awards, including The National Medal of Arts from (the first) President Bush, two Peabody Awards for excellence in journalism, twenty-two honorary degrees, the President's Award of the International Association of Jazz Educators, Downbeat's Lifetime Achievement Award and many others. In the abstract for the session with Taylor, the Society described him as “jazz’s most passionate advocate” and praised him for “doing more than nearly anyone to spread the music’s message.”

Since 1979, SAM has awarded an Honorary Membership to one important musician or group at each of their conferences, generally once a year. Past recipients of this honor include Howard Hanson, Gilbert Chase, Bill Monroe, John Cage, Max Roach, and others. Earlier this year, at the annual SAM Conference in Charleston, the first-ever group Honorary Membership was awarded, to the Sea Island Singers of Georgia.

Oscar Peterson Photo by Ed Gajdel

Oscar Peterson’s name came up early in the discussions of who to honor at the Toronto Mega-Conference, according to Brown. “We thought it was a wonderful opportunity to honor someone who has been an influence in the history of jazz, and also someone who is Canadian, since we are involved in so many joint projects with our Canadian sisters.” Brown wrote him a letter, and he “enthusiastically agreed” to participate in the conference.

Peterson was presented with the Honorary Membership during a 90-minute tribute on the evening of the second day of the conference. The panel, chaired by Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. of the University of Pennsylvania, presented CD and video clips of Peterson’s work, and talked about different aspects of his career. A surprise panelist ended up being Billy Taylor, who had come in town early. “That was really the frosting on the cake,” Brown commented. “He spoke at some length about Oscar Peterson’s influence on his own playing, and on jazz in general.”

In addition to Peterson’s “stunning technical abilities” and “extraordinary grasp of jazz history,” reasons the Society cited for giving Peterson the Honorary Membership included his “crucial role” in “heightening respect for jazz as an art form”; his championing of “the virtues of a multi-ethnic society”; and the tribute he has paid to his native Canada “in musical compositions and through support for the arts.”