When Ella Fitzgerald came to Cork, the First Lady of Song played two memorable concerts
IN LATE October 1979, the members of the welcome committee of the Cork Jazz Festival stood at Cork Airport nudging each other.
“It must be him,” said one, pointing at a black man who had just got off the flight from London. “You go check.” One of the committee nervously approached the visitor and asked, “Are you Mr Peterson?” When the reply came as a gruff “No!”, they knew they were in trouble. Oscar Peterson, the great jazz pianist and supposed headliner for their festival, wasn’t coming. He was too ill to travel.
