Oliver Jones Day

September 11, 1934 – July 22, 2026

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Oliver Jones passed away on July 22, 2026, at the age of 91.

He was born on Sept. 11, 1934, in Montreal, Canada.

Jones began playing piano when he was five, and one of his teachers was Daisy Peterson Sweeney, Oscar Peterson’s sister.

He performed as a child at church, had a piano act in local clubs that included dancing, and developed into a very impressive pianist while mostly working in the Montreal area.

Jones was the music director for the Jamaican calypso singer Kenny Hamilton during 1964-80, and during that period was based in Puerto Rico.

His jazz career really took off in the 1980s when he worked regularly at the Montreal jazz club Biddies (1981-86) and made his first recordings.

A superb pianist who could often sound a bit like Oscar Peterson, Jones recorded regularly for the Justin Time label (at least 24 albums as a leader during 1983-2012), toured Europe in addition to Canada and the U.S., performed at many jazz festivals, and worked as an educator.

Oliver Jones largely retired when he was in his late seventies despite still being in his playing prime.

From 2011, Oliver Jones played Oscar Peterson’s “Hymn To Freedom” in a trio with bassist Eric Lagace and drummer Jim Doxas.

-Scott Yanow

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