Nearly two decades after his death, Canadian jazz legend and longtime Mississauga resident Oscar Peterson is still making music. 

World Tour, a limited edition centennial box set featuring a collection of previously unreleased live recordings spanning three decades from the man widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz pianists/composers of all time, will be available Aug. 28. 

The collection celebrates the multiple Juno Award winner and member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame with five “never-before-heard live performances and a TV studio recording,” a description on Peterson’s official website reads.

This Friday’s release is accompanied by a 48-page hardcover book with, according to the website, “never-before-seen archival material, including Oscar’s own photography, poetry and personal remembrances from family, friends and fellow musicians.”

World Tour is being released by Mack Avenue Music Group and Two Lions Records. It includes recordings from live concerts that took place around the globe — Toronto and New Zealand among the locations — between 1969 and 1996.

Peterson was honoured last year in Mississauga

In a tribute to Peterson on what would have been his 100th birthday on Aug. 15, 2025, the City of Mississauga played “the smooth sounds of his music” all day at city hall as well as on the city’s 311 information phone line.

“Today we celebrate the 100th birthday of legendary jazz singer Oscar Peterson, whose music continues to inspire generations,” city officials said at the time. “Recognized as one of the greatest piano players of all time, Oscar’s extraordinary journey earned him eight Grammy Awards, the UNESCO International Music Prize and over 100 honours worldwide.”

Peterson, who lived in Mississauga for more than 30 years, had — and still has — countless adoring fans around the world. He died of kidney failure in 2007 at age 82. 

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Mississauga officials noted earlier Peterson’s influence can be seen daily across the city as he has a street, a school and a University of Toronto Mississauga residence named after him.

Shared stages with Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie and others

“Beyond his performances, he gave back passionately, founding the Advanced School of Contemporary Music and mentoring young artists through the Oscar Peterson Program at the Royal Conservatory, providing free music training to underserved youth,” city officials said earlier. “From sharing stages with Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie to leading his own celebrated trio, Oscar Peterson’s legacy is part of our Canadian music history.”

In 2021, Peterson had yet another honour added to his legacy since his death. 

The Royal Conservatory of Music, the prestigious Toronto-based education institution, renamed its community school after Peterson, an RCM alumnus. It has since been known as the Oscar Peterson School of Music.

The RCM also launched at that time the Oscar Peterson Program, a scholarship program offering tuition-free music instruction to underserved youth. 

RCM officials said earlier their tribute to the jazz great was more than fitting. 

“It is the RCM’s immense pleasure to honour Oscar Peterson, one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, by naming our school after him,” then-RCM president and CEO Dr. Peter Simon said at the time. 

(Cover photo: Juno Awards)

Today we celebrate the 100th birthday of legendary jazz singer Oscar Peterson, whose music continues to inspire generations.

Recognized as one of the greatest piano players of all time, Oscar’s extraordinary journey earned him 8 Grammy Awards, the UNESCO International Music… pic.twitter.com/U9JPbYiVMR

— City of Mississauga (@citymississauga) August 15, 2025

 


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