{|Oscar Peterson|} has stated that he feels his {|MPS|} recordings are his finest. That is quite a statement considering the huge amount of records that the pianist has produced through the past 50 years. This four-CD set reissues the music from six ... Read more

{|Oscar Peterson|} has stated that he feels his {|MPS|} recordings are his finest. That is quite a statement considering the huge amount of records that the pianist has produced through the past 50 years. This four-CD set reissues the music from six of his {|MPS|} LPs: {|Action|}, {|Girl Talk|}, {|The Way I Really Play|}, {|My Favorite Instrument|}, {|Mellow Mood|}, and {|Travelin' On|}. While some of the performances feature the 1963 trio he had with bassist {|Ray Brown|} and drummer {|Ed Thigpen|}, most of the music dates from 1967-1968 and matches {|Peterson|} with bassist {|Sam Jones|} and either {|Louis Hayes|} or {|Bobby Durham|} on drums. A special treat is {|Peterson|}'s first unaccompanied solo album, which fills up the final CD. {|Peterson|}'s many fans know what to expect in this set, while other listeners need to discover him to realize what all of the fuss was about. Quite simply, {|Oscar Peterson|} has long been one of the greatest pianists the world has ever known; this reissue offers plenty of proof. ~ Scott Yanow Less