This important new collection has been lovingly curated by Kelly Peterson, Oscar’s wife, and illuminates the life behind one of music’s most celebrated figures.
~courtesy Victoria Lord PR
TORONTO, Canada – August, 2026 – For generations, audiences around the world have known Oscar Peterson through the extraordinary brilliance of his music. They knew the hands. They knew the sound. He spent a lifetime carrying Canada onto the world’s most important stages. This summer, two landmark initiatives offer a more intimate look at one of Canada’s most celebrated cultural figures. On August 28, Two Lions Records and Mack Avenue Music Group will release World Tour, a new collection that is the culmination of years of work, while the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History welcomes significant pieces of Peterson’s legacy into its permanent collection. Together, they offer a rare and deeply personal portrait of the man behind one of Canada’s most influential and beloved artists.
Created at the beginning of the next 100 years of Oscar Peterson’s enduring legacy, World Tour includes previously unreleased recordings alongside a collection lovingly curated by Kelly Peterson, drawing from scrapbooks, photographs and writings that illuminate the life behind one of music’s most celebrated cultural figures. While Oscar Peterson’s artistic legacy is undeniable, his personal journey was known only to those closest to him. This collection is a portrait of Oscar Peterson, not only as a musician, but as a husband, father, friend, photographer, writer and curious human being. Throughout the collection are glimpses of the joy, exuberance and generosity that those closest to him knew well and that audiences around the world experienced through his music for decades.
The limited edition 6 LP World Tour box set pairs previously unreleased Oscar Peterson performances with a hardcover book featuring rare photographs, personal writings and archival material that illuminate the life and extraordinary global career of the Canadian jazz legend.
For Kelly Peterson, the project represents far more than the release of archival material.
“People know Oscar as the great virtuoso that he was, and they are beginning to know more of him as a composer. With the book that accompanies this LP set, we are now giving fans a more personal and intimate look into who Oscar was away from the spotlight,” said Kelly Peterson. “The poems he wrote, the photographs he took, his hobbies, his passions. We hope that by opening this window, Oscar’s fans will feel even more connected to him and see that the joy evident in every note he played was born of the exuberance and joy with which he approached every aspect of his life”.
Released by Two Lions Records and Mack Avenue Music Group, World Tour, a limited edition, 6-LP 180-gram vinyl box set due out August 28, is arguably the most comprehensive collection ever assembled. The collection spans three decades featuring five never-before-heard live performances and a TV studio recording from Detroit, Michigan; Basel, Switzerland; Auckland, New Zealand; São Paulo, Brazil; and his home of Toronto, Canada. The box set is accompanied by Tour of Oscar’s World, 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 and Celine Peterson plus tributes from his peers.
Earlier this year, The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History welcomed several important objects connected to Peterson’s life and career into its permanent collection, including his performance tuxedo and Order of Canada insignia, one of the nation’s highest civilian honours and a treasured symbol of his extraordinary musical legacy and enduring contribution to Canada’s cultural identity. Joining these items is a celebrated 1995 portrait by renowned Canadian photographer Edward Gajdel, a longtime friend of Peterson whose image was selected by Peterson as the cover photograph for his memoir, A Jazz Odyssey.
Together, the release of World Tour and the acquisition of the Oscar Peterson Collection by the Smithsonian help safeguard the legacy of a musical icon whose influence transcends genres, generations and borders, ensuring that future audiences can continue to discover, study and celebrate his extraordinary life and work.
