Oscar Peterson On a Clear Day

Legendary pianist and composer Oscar Peterson led a storied career, spanning over half a century with new creative heights at every turn. 1971 saw Peterson touring the world once again, joined by bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and drummer Louis Hayes.

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 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 LP. 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.

When the world-renowned Canadian pianist came to Villingen in 1961, there was a mood of intense excitement all round. Hans-Georg Brunner-Schwer (HGBS), former owner of the hifi dynasty SABA who died in 2004, had just set up the first version of his studio, equipped with the most advanced recording technology of the time, above the living-room in his villa. This was the bait used by the piano enthusiast to attract the famous pianist to the Black Forest.

After Welcome to the Black Forest (The Sounds of MPS), a magnificent compilation in 24-bit Hi-Res quality released exclusively for Qobuz in February 2022, highlighting the variety of MPS Records' eclectic catalogue, now comes Reunion in the Black Forest - The Sounds of MPS Vol. II! With this second volume, also available exclusively on Qobuz, the German label founded in 1968 by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer proves yet again the breadth of its repertoire.

Jamaican-born pianist Monty Alexander is a sophisticated, prolific performer with an urbane, swinging style informed by the bop tradition, as well as the reggae and Caribbean folk he grew up with. He is in top form in this 1974 studio session made for MPS, joined by guitarist Ernest Ranglin, bassist Eberhard Weber, and drummer Kenny Clare.