Jazz concert by pianist Eric Lewis (ELEW) and the Jazz Houston Septet with new arrangements of Oscar Peterson's music for his centennial.
Jazz Houston is celebrating the centennial of Oscar Peterson at Unity of Houston on Friday, October 23. The night is built around pianist ELEW (Eric Lewis) and the Jazz Houston Septet, led by artistic director Vincent Gardner. Together they're performing eight new arrangements of Peterson's music, and a good chunk of that comes from one place: four movements of his Canadiana Suite.
Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist born in Montreal on August 15, 1925, and he earned eight Grammy Awards over his career, including a lifetime achievement honor. Duke Ellington once called him "the Maharaja of the keyboard." One of the pieces that stuck with him was "Hymn to Freedom," which he wrote in 1962 and that became closely associated with the Civil Rights Movement.
The concert is part of Jazz Houston's 2026-27 season, Houston's Rhythm. The World's Voices, and fits into the organization's broader work in performance, education, and community outreach. That includes the Jazz Houston Youth Orchestra and the Texas Regional Essentially Ellington. The evening also connects to a local teenager: 17-year-old pianist Elias Moran, a student at Houston's Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, who cites Peterson as his inspiration. Peterson's nephew is the globally respected jazz pianist and composer Jason Moran.
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Doors open at 6 PM with the Jazz Houston Youth Orchestra playing in the lobby, and the main concert starts at 7 PM. Tickets run from $25 to $85, and parking is free. The venue is Unity of Houston, 2929 Unity Drive, Houston, TX 77057.
