In the late 1980s, Alleyne and friend Rudy Webb created Evolution of Jazz (EOJ), a music and dance program aimed at connecting black youth with musical legacies. Today, Alleyne continues the work he started with EOJ through the Archie Alleyne Scholarship & Bursary Fund (AASBF).

I had this dream that I would have a place that offers up nice Caribbean fusion in an entertainment complex where we could have R&B, reggae and jazz artists.” With her business partners, Blake-Sutherland created the concept for Rozz in 2008, but it didn’t materialize until this past summer, when the doors finally swung open.

“It shows that anything is possible,” he says. “Oscar achieved this status through his hard work and his talent. He was an ambassador to Canada and [this statue] shows young Black children everywhere that these things are possible and achievable.”

“I don’t think we’ll ever see another jazz musician get the amount of credit that he received over the years. He was a wonderful inspiration to myself and so many other young pianists.” — Canadian jazz pianist and long-time Peterson friend Oliver Jones

Armed with a unique fusion of acoustic soul, jazz and R&B, the singer-songwriter, producer and recent business owner is ready to once again make her mark in the music business, but in a much different way.