Continuing the celebration of Oscar Peterson’s centennial, Mack Avenue Music Group and Two Lions Records have released an expansive collection of work from the pianist titled World Tour. Celebrating the “Maharaja Of The Keyboard,” the collection features five never-before-heard live performances and a TV studio recording, spanning nearly three decades.
It is accompanied by a 48-page hardcover book with never-before seen archival material, including Oscar’s own photography, poetry and personal remembrances from family, friends and fellow musicians. The release is also available as a 4-CD set, paired with a 20-page booklet featuring notes from Kelly Peterson and Celine Peterson, plus tributes from his peers.
In a conversation with Track Star, Kelly Peterson and Christian McBride debuted the first look at the box set, teasing the never-before-seen archival material.
Reflecting on the release, Kelly Peterson says:
I have been looking forward to this day for months! Waiting for you to see this book, A Tour of Oscar’s World, which opens a door into who Oscar was away from the stage. As you listen to the music from different decades, with different musicians in the trios and quartet, and as you read Oscar’s own words in excerpts from his memoir, his previously unpublished poems, and see his photos, it is my hope that you will feel the joy and the passion that permeated everything he did. As we celebrate the significant occasion of Oscar’s centennial birthday, and begin the next century of Oscar Peterson, it brings me tremendous joy to share this music and this personal glimpse of Oscar with you.
Celebrating Peterson’s enduring impact since 1925, World Tour features never-before-heard live concerts from Detroit, Michigan, Basel, Switzerland, Auckland, New Zealand, São Paulo, Brazil, and his home of Toronto, Canada.
In each of these recordings, whether he was playing solo, with Jazz guitarist Joe Pass, or in an assortment of groups featuring such pioneers as Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown, Mary Lou Williams, and Louis Hayes, you can hear Oscar’s passion at work, reaching for new heights.
Tracklist:
1. Old Folks (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival – August 30, 1980)
2. Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival – August 30, 1980)
3. Place St. Henri (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival – August 30, 1980)
4. Blues of the Prairies (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival – August 30, 1980)
5. Goodbye (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival – August 30, 1980)
6. (Back Home Again In) Indiana (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival – August 30, 1980)
7. City Lights (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival – August 30, 1980)
8. Reunion Blues (Live at the Detroit Montreux Festival – August 30, 1980)
9. 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)
10. Kelly’s Blues (Live in São Paulo, Brazil – April 23, 1996)
11. Sushi (Live in São Paulo, Brazil – April 23, 1996)
12. The Lamp Is Low (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
13. Triste (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
14. I Concentrate On You (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
15. Tristeza (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
16. L’il Darlin’ (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
17. By The Time I Get To Phoenix (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
18. My Romance (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
19. Down Here On The Ground (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
20. L’Impossible (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
21. Let’s Fall In Love (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
22. You Look Good To Me (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
23. Billie’s Bounce (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
24. Fly Me To The Moon (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
25. Squeaky’s Blues (Live in Basel, Switzerland – November 8, 1969)
26. Soft Winds (Live in New Zealand – April 12, 1972)
27. On A Clear Day (Live in New Zealand – April 12, 1972)
28. You Stepped Out Of A Dream (Live in New Zealand – April 12, 1972)
29. Noreen’s Nocturne (Live in New Zealand – April 12, 1972)
30. A Child Is Born / Here’s That Rainy Day (Live in New Zealand – April 12, 1972)
31. People (Live in New Zealand – April 12, 1972)
32. Cute (Live in New Zealand – April 12, 1972)
33. Mean To Me (Live in Toronto, Canada – September 1980)
34. L’il Darlin’ (Live in Toronto, Canada – September 1980)
35. Stella By Starlight (Live in Toronto, Canada – September 1980)
36. Benny’s Bugle (Live in Toronto, Canada – September 1980)
37. Sweet Georgia Brown (Live in Toronto, Canada – September 1980)
38. A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening (Live in Toronto, Canada – September 1980)
39. It’s A Grand Night For Swinging (Live in Toronto, Canada – September 1980)
40. Willow Weep For Me (Live in Toronto, Canada – September 1980)
41. Groovin’ High (Live in Toronto, Canada – September 1980)
42. My Man (Live in Toronto, Canada – September 1980)
43. 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)
