Jazz Pianist Oliver Jones Laid to Rest in a Public Funeral in Little ...
Hundreds filled Union United Church to honor the jazz pianist, with gospel and jazz performances highlighting his mentorship and community ties.
- On Thursday, mourners gathered at Montreal's Union United Church in Little Burgundy for the funeral of legendary jazz pianist Oliver Jones, celebrating the 91-year-old's life through laughter, jazz, and gospel music.
- Jones began playing piano at the church at age five, rising from the same impoverished Montreal neighbourhood as mentor Oscar Peterson and studying under Peterson's sister Daisy.
- Producer Jim West, who met Jones in 1982, recalled their 45 years of friendship and African tour organizing children's concerts. Musicians Ranee Lee and Kim Richardson performed tributes, while the Oliver Jones Trio played his composition 'Lights of Burgundy.'
- Widow Monique Leclerc Jones called him 'an angel,' while provincial officials Guillaume Cliche-Rivard and Chantal Rouleau attended the service. The community mourned the loss of a musician who championed the local jazz scene for decades.
- International Jazz Festival founder Alain Simard remembered Jones as 'a pillar' with 'infinite kindness.' The service closed with emotional renditions of 'Amazing Grace' and 'Hymn to Freedom,' honoring a legacy that helped Quebec shine globally.
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11 Articles
Music and memories fill Little Burgundy church for Oliver Jones’s final farewell
Family, friends, musicians and admirers gathered at Montreal’s Union United Church Thursday for a memorial service honouring Canadian music icon Oliver Jones. The Little Burgundy church, where Jones played his first concert at age five, was filled with music and memories as the community said its final goodbye.
Rocky Mountain Outlook
Jazz and gospel fill the church in Little Burgundy as Montreal honours Oliver Jones
MONTREAL — The sounds of laughter, jazz and gospel music pumped through a modest church in Montreal's Little Burgundy neighbourhood on Thursday as mourners gathered for the funeral of legendary jazz pianist Oliver Jones.
The Montreal pianist was taken to his last rest during a ceremony in Petite-Bourgogne.
Montreal paid a final tribute to pianist Oliver Jones at his public funeral in the Petite-Bourgogne neighbourhood, where he grew up.
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