Montrealers pay tribute to legendary jazz pianist Oliver Jones at city hall

MONTREAL – Jazz music filled the hall of honour at Montreal’s city hall on Wednesday as people lined up to pay their respects to the family of legendary pianist Oliver Jones.

The city’s flags were lowered in the early morning and were expected to remain at half-mast until end of day Thursday to honour the musician who championed Montreal’s jazz scene and its musicians.

The musician’s son, Richard Jones, carried an urn containing his father’s ashes to the front of the room. He laid the urn, which was decorated with a piano, next to a picture of the late musician and flowers from well-wishers.

He also addressed the crowd to thank Canadians and Quebecers for the love they showed his father throughout his life.

“We know for a fact that my dad’s kidney failed and not his heart, because his heart was strong, and completely filled with the love that he received,” he said.

Jazz musician Daniel Clarke Bouchard was among the first group of visitors on Wednesday. Clarke Bouchard met Jones when he was seven years old, after he attended one of Jones’ concerts in Montreal. After that first meeting, Jones took him under his wing and became his mentor.

The pair did concerts together and Jones played for Clarke Bouchard’s first album a few years after they met.

“It was a blessing to be able to play with someone like that,” said Clarke Bouchard. 

The award-winning pianist died July 22 at age 91. He grew up in the impoverished Montreal neighbourhood of Little Burgundy before becoming a star. 

He was known for his lightning-fast right hand, a phenomenal technique and a hard-swinging style.

During his life, he supported young musicians and was an important figure in the jazz community, in Montreal and elsewhere. Jones became a member of the Order of Canada and earned many other awards and distinctions.

Clarke Bouchard felt firsthand the way Jones uplifted young musicians.

“It was everything. He was an inspiration but as a person he was great as well. He was just so humble, always treated people with respect, always gave his 100% to everything and gave his time to everybody,” he said.

Early visitors to Wednesday’s visitation also included musicians, city councillors and Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada, who signed a book of condolences for the jazz legend.

A public showing is “very exceptional,” said Martinez Ferrada.  

“It’s done for people that have been very important to the history of the city and Oliver Jones is in that category. Not only was he a great musician, an international musician, but he’s a great Montrealer,” she said. 

Jazz singer Ranee Lee, who played with Jones for many years, said she would always remember his buoyant nature and his role in helping jazz shine in Montreal.

“He is the very cornerstone of the jazz world of music,” she said.

Later in the ceremony, members of the public were allowed in to offer the family their condolences, and a steady stream of visitors started filing through the hall. 

Among them was James Clarke, a jazz pianist from Alberta who has been living in Montreal for 16 years. He saw Jones play when he was a teenager and credits him and Oscar Peterson, another Little Burgundy jazz pianist and Jones’ mentor, as inspirations to pursue music. 

“(Jones) was a hero to lots and lots of people, musicians across the country. (He was) an incredible guy,” he said.

Diane Matthé, who worked at a restaurant where Jones used to play, attended the event with her granddaughter.

“He was an extraordinary man, so patient and intelligent. His music was exceptional and our ears will be filled with joy for a long time,” she said.

Matthé’s granddaughter is now studying and teaching jazz music, she said, which she credited to Jones. 

“It’s beautiful to see that young people still sing jazz, traditional jazz. It goes on, thanks to Oliver,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2026.

Note to readers:This is a corrected story. A previous version misspelled Ranee Lee’s first name.