Canadiana Suite

Canadiana Suite
Canadiana Suite
Studio album by Oscar Peterson
Released	1965
Recorded	September 9, 1964 (New York)
Genre	Jazz
Length	35:10
Label	Limelight Records

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	^[2]

Canadiana Suite is a 1965 album by Oscar Peterson.^[3]

Composition

Peterson envisioned Canadiana Suite as a tribute to the diverse landscapes of Canada, drawing inspiration from his travels by rail across southern Canada. Beginning in the Maritime provinces with "Ballad to the East", the suite travels west through the Laurentian Mountains of southern Quebec in "Laurentide Waltz", then pays a visit to the neighbourhood in Montreal where Peterson grew up, Place St. Henri, in the song of the same name. Next, the suite moves on to Canada's next great metropolis, Toronto, in "Hogtown Blues", before heading to the great plains of Manitoba ("Blues of the Prairies") and Saskatchewan ("Wheatland"). Finally, Peterson takes us through Calgary in "March Past", and on into the Rocky Mountains with "Land of the Misty Giants". Explaining his motivation for writing Canadiana Suite, Peterson said "My profession has taken me to every part of the world, none of them more beautiful than where I live. As a musician, I respond to the harmony and rhythm of life, and when I’m deeply moved it leaves something singing inside me. With a country as large and as full of contrast as Canada, I had a lot of themes to choose from when I wrote the Canadiana Suite. This is my musical portrait of the Canada I love."^[4]

Track listing

"Ballad to the East" – 4:08
"Laurentide Waltz" – 5:20
"Place St. Henri" – 3:57
"Hogtown Blues" – 3:40
"Blues of the Prairies" – 4:59
"Wheatland" – 5:30
"March Past" – 3:25
"Land of the Misty Giants" – 4:11

All music composed by Oscar Peterson.

Personnel

References

^ Allmusic review
^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 161. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
^ Canadiana Suite at AllMusic
^ "Canadiana Suite". Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved 18 February 2021. My profession has taken me to every part of the world, none of them more beautiful than where I live. As a musician, I respond to the harmony and rhythm of life, and when I'm deeply moved it leaves something singing inside me. With a country as large and as full of contrast as Canada, I had a lot of themes to choose from when I wrote the Canadiana Suite. This is my musical portrait of the Canada I love.

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[1] Allmusic review

[RSJRG-2] Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. pp. 161. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.

[3] Canadiana Suite at AllMusic

[4] "Canadiana Suite". Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. Retrieved 18 February 2021. My profession has taken me to every part of the world, none of them more beautiful than where I live. As a musician, I respond to the harmony and rhythm of life, and when I'm deeply moved it leaves something singing inside me. With a country as large and as full of contrast as Canada, I had a lot of themes to choose from when I wrote the Canadiana Suite. This is my musical portrait of the Canada I love.

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