Born in 1934 in Montreal\u2019s Little Burgundy neighbourhood, Jones began performing at the age of five at the Union United Church. By the age of 10, he played in nightclubs and would become a fixture at the Black-owned club Rockhead\u2019s Paradise.<\/p>\n
He later performed in several countries around the world and at the Montreal Jazz Festival many times, including in 2004 with his friend and mentor Oscar Peterson.<\/p>\n
\u201cOliver was what you call\u2026 the perfect human being, if there\u2019s such a thing,\u201d Simeon Pompey, a close friend of Jones\u2019. \u201cHe embodied that. He\u2019s lived a full life of giving back. He was never part of any controversy, and he spent many, many times, many hours, giving back and serving that community, and he always has that at heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Montreal](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20240822_223608990_iOS-1024x768.jpg\")
Jazz legend Oliver Jones at the Montreal Community Cares Foundation Awards Gala in August 2024. (Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed, CityNews)<\/p>\n
Errol Johnson, the deputy mayor of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, said Jones had style, energy and presence that would capture you.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always got into how he approaches the piano and he sits around it and he does what he has to do with his fingers, and he gets the message and the music out to your soul. That\u2019s what he does,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, at the mural of Oliver Jones in Little Burgundy, flowers were left for the pianist by a Montrealer who enjoys his music.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have his Little Burgundy trio on my CD every week and I listen always to his music,\u201d said Martin B\u00e9gin. \u201cI\u2019ll never stop listening to his music.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Oliver-Jones-flowers-2-1024x768.jpg\")
Montrealer Martin B\u00e9gin left flowers at the mural of the late Oliver Jones in Little Burgundy after hearing of his passing. (Gareth Madoc-Jones, CityNews)<\/p>\n
Over the years, Jones received a number of awards and distinctions, including Juno awards, F\u00e9lix awards, the Opus Prize and the Martin Luther King Jr. Award.<\/p>\n
Since the announcement of his death, several people paid tribute to Jones on social media, including Quebec Premier Christine Fr\u00e9chette, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada and the Montreal International Jazz Festival.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven with all that he\u2019s done, internationally known, the music is fantastic, soothing, happy, he\u2019s just an individual who was humble and inviting and that was so appreciative of him,\u201d said Sharon Nelson, the president of the Jamaica Association of Montreal.<\/p>\n
In recent years, the Dr. Oliver Jones Golf Classic has been organized to raise money for Jones\u2019 church and other community organizations. The hope now is to keep it going as part of his legacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunds from this tournament is going to go back into the community to help young people who he believes are the future,\u201d Pompey said. \u201cWe all know they\u2019re the future and he wants to give back to that, so we\u2019re going to do our best to try and fulfill his dream and keep his legacy alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last time I saw him, I promised him that we will continue the work that he wanted to see,\u201d said June Keene, the chairperson of the Dr. Oliver Jones Golf Classic. \u201cThat\u2019s something I want everybody to remember. He enjoyed this tournament and that is something he really wanted us to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
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