Oscar Peterson’s 100th year keeps unfolding in grand style. Mack Avenue Music Group and Two Lions Records continue the jazz legend’s centennial celebration with ‘World Tour’, their most expansive collection of the pianist’s work yet, out August 28. The set arrives as a limited-edition 6-LP 180-gram vinyl box with a 48-page hardcover book, and also as a 4-CD set with a 20-page booklet.
The collection honors the “Maharaja Of The Keyboard” with five never-before-heard live performances and a TV studio recording, spanning nearly three decades from 1969 to 1996. The accompanying book digs deep into the personal, with never-before-seen archival material that includes Peterson’s own photography, poetry, and remembrances from family, friends, and fellow musicians. The CD edition pairs notes from Kelly Peterson and Celine Peterson with tributes from his peers.
Kelly Peterson framed the project as a labor of love. “The process of choosing the material to include, the effort to ensure this set captures and expresses as much as possible, all that Oscar deserves, in celebration of this significant occasion, was a joyful time,” she said. She described the book as a tour of Oscar’s world, built over months to share a more personal view of the man, complete with previously unpublished photos and poems from his own camera and pen.
The release follows last year’s ‘Around The World’, which gathered solo, duo, and trio performances from 1969 to 1981. ‘World Tour’ widens the lens with concerts captured in Detroit, Basel, Auckland, São Paulo, and his home city of Toronto. Across the recordings, whether playing solo, alongside jazz guitar royalty Joe Pass, or in groups featuring Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown, Mary Lou Williams, and Louis Hayes, Peterson’s playing lifts the entire bandstand. The performances trace nearly four decades of musical evolution, and the warmth in every note makes the case for why audiences greeted him like an old friend.
World Tour Tracklist:
- “Old Folks” (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival, August 30, 1980)
- “Ain’t Misbehavin'” (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival, August 30, 1980)
- “Place St. Henri” (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival, August 30, 1980)
- “Blues of the Prairies” (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival, August 30, 1980)
- “Goodbye” (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival, August 30, 1980)
- “(Back Home Again In) Indiana” (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival, August 30, 1980)
- “City Lights” (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival, August 30, 1980)
- “Reunion Blues” (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival, August 30, 1980)
- “Medley: Body & Soul / Take the A Train / Mood Indigo / Rockin’ in Rhythm / C-Jam Blues / Things Ain’t What They Used To Be / Satin Doll / Caravan” (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival, August 30, 1980)
- “Kelly’s Blues” (Live in São Paulo, Brazil, April 23, 1996)
- “Sushi” (Live in São Paulo, Brazil, April 23, 1996)
- “The Lamp Is Low” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “Triste” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “I Concentrate On You” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “Tristeza” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “L’il Darlin'” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “My Romance” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “Down Here On The Ground” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “L’Impossible” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “Let’s Fall In Love” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “You Look Good To Me” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “Billie’s Bounce” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “Fly Me To The Moon” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “Squeaky’s Blues” (Live in Basel, Switzerland, November 8, 1969)
- “Soft Winds” (Live in New Zealand, April 12, 1972)
- “On A Clear Day” (Live in New Zealand, April 12, 1972)
- “You Stepped Out Of A Dream” (Live in New Zealand, April 12, 1972)
- “Noreen’s Nocturne” (Live in New Zealand, April 12, 1972)
- “A Child Is Born / Here’s That Rainy Day” (Live in New Zealand, April 12, 1972)
- “People” (Live in New Zealand, April 12, 1972)
- “Cute” (Live in New Zealand, April 12, 1972)
- “Mean To Me” (Live in Toronto, Canada, September 1980)
- “L’il Darlin'” (Live in Toronto, Canada, September 1980)
- “Stella By Starlight” (Live in Toronto, Canada, September 1980)
- “Benny’s Bugle” (Live in Toronto, Canada, September 1980)
- “Sweet Georgia Brown” (Live in Toronto, Canada, September 1980)
- “A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening” (Live in Toronto, Canada, September 1980)
- “It’s A Grand Night For Swinging” (Live in Toronto, Canada, September 1980)
- “Willow Weep For Me” (Live in Toronto, Canada, September 1980)
- “Groovin’ High” (Live in Toronto, Canada, September 1980)
- “My Man” (Live in Toronto, Canada, September 1980)
- “Salute to Duke Ellington: Take The A Train / Things Ain’t What They Used To Be / Lush Life / Satin Doll / Caravan” (Live in Toronto, Canada, September 1980)