I was working at a music store as a guitar teacher in West Los Angeles. I took a break from my students and suddenly heard blues being played on the piano in four-part invention in the style of Bach. Who could be doing such a thing?! I went out into the store from my cubicle to see who was doing this on the keyboard. A distinguished black man was seated at the keyboard just tossing this off without even thinking about it. I was introduced to Oscar Petersen. He regaled us with stories about all the underworld figures he had met through jazz and the hotels he had stayed in. He was jovial, warm, and friendly. The only guitarist that he apparently recorded with was Joe Pass and I was told that's the only one he liked to play with.

He was so inventive and versatile that it almost got in his way because he could play so many styles that his individuality could not be stamped easilly. He was one of the great jazz pianists in the pantheon which include Tatum, Tyner, Evans, and others such as Dick Hyman. There is a pianist in the Atlanta area who is in Oscar's category named Johnny O'Neil but he is not well-known. I had the pleasure of meeting Oscar's niece in Atlanta.

He has left us a superlative recorded legacy. A great contribution to jazz!

Frank Hamilton