Review: Double Deluxe Oscar Peterson

Review, From the Magazine, Oscar Peterson

By Scott Yanow I Oct. 13, 2026

Two new box sets feature Oscar Peterson both live and in studio.
(Photo: DownBeat Archive)

Nineteen years after his passing, Oscar Peterson (1925–2007) still has the ability to amaze listeners with his phenomenal technique, dazzling speed and ability to outswing everyone else. One of the greatest pianists of all time, he was already a brilliant player during 1945–’49, when he played swing and boogie-woogie in his native Montreal. Influenced by Nat Cole’s piano playing and inspired (if sometimes intimidated) by Art Tatum, Peterson moved to the United States after being discovered by producer Norman Granz. He led a trio with Ray Brown and guitarist Barney Kessel during 1952–’53, with Herb Ellis taking over on guitar during 1953–’59. When Ellis departed, the pianist opted to use drums instead of guitar, settling on Ed Thigpen, who, like Ellis, was in the trio for six years.

The Classic Oscar Peterson Trio Studio Sessions With Ray Brown And Ed Thigpen (Mosaic; ★★★★½ 575:58) is a valuable, limited-edition eight-CD set that has all of the studio dates that the Peterson-Brown-Thigpen trio made as an independent unit (other than the nine LPs in their easy-listening Songbook series), purposely leaving out sets with big bands, Clark Terry, Milt Jackson and their huge number of recorded concerts.

The Mosaic box contains all of the music originally on these albums: A Jazz Portrait Of Frank Sinatra, The Jazz Soul Of Oscar Peterson, Porgy And Bess, Fiorello, West Side Story, Affinity, Night Train, The Oscar Peterson Trio Plays, Canadiana Suite (featuring some of Peterson’s most rewarding originals), We Get Requests, Action and The Lost Tapes I and II, plus a few songs from various artists collections. All of the music (mostly from Verve other than one album made for Limelight and three for MPS) has been out before, other than seven performances recorded at the Porgy And Bess sessions that were not actually from that show. While the Ellis trio had often been competitive, the Thigpen group was much more cooperative with the pianist being a very dominant force in front of two supportive sidemen.

Ordering info: mosaicrecords.com

To celebrate Peterson’s centennial, Mack Avenue has compiled a four-CD (or six-LP) set of previously unreleased live performances. World Tour (Mack Avenue; ★★★★½ 246:48) contains 43 songs from five different concerts. While Peterson was always quite impressive on his studio dates, when performing live he sometimes went a bit over the top with displays of his technique. It would not be much of an exaggeration to say that, if any venue had paid Peterson a dollar a note, it would probably have gone bankrupt by the end of one of his concerts.

The first nine songs, from a solo set at the Detroit Montreux Festival on Aug. 30, 1980, find Peterson at his most uninhibited. While it is difficult not to shake one’s head in amazement at what he could play, and he cannot be blamed much for flaunting what others did not possess, after a few numbers many listeners will be worn out. The solo outing is often quite extreme with Peterson tearing into such songs as “Old Folks,” his own “Place St. Henri” and “Indiana” with wild abandon.

In 1993, Peterson suffered a major stroke that resulted in his left-hand being largely immobilized. Two numbers from an April 23, 1996, concert in Brazil find his sidemen (guitarist Lorne Lofsky, bassist Niels Pederson and drummer Martin Drew) expertly covering for Peterson, who even as a mostly one-handed pianist could still play more notes than most pianists could with three hands.

Moving back to his prime years, Peterson performs 14 songs with bassist Sam Jones and drummer Bobby Durham at a Nov. 8, 1969, concert in Basil, Switzerland (trombonist Butch Watanabe does an excellent job of guesting on three numbers) and seven tunes from New Zealand on April 12, 1972, with bassist Michael Donato and drummer Louis Hayes. The pianist balances tasteful swing with explosive moments; his playing on the blazing “You Stepped Out Of A Dream” sounds impossible.

Finally, a Toronto performance from September 1980 offers a grab bag. Peterson and guitarist Joe Pass (one of the few who could hold his own with the pianist) play a solo number apiece and four duets, with Peterson taking a surprise vocal. Mary Lou Williams is on piano for two songs with Ray Brown and drummer Bobby Durham, and Dizzy Gillespie (in very good form on “Groovin’ High”) guests on two numbers, before the Peterson-Brown-Durham trio wraps up the deluxe package with a wondrous Duke Ellington medley. DB

Ordering info: mackavenue.com