In 1947 Oscar Peterson formed his first trio. On bass at that time was not yet Ray Brown, but Bert Brown, and Frank Gariepy played drums. The trio performed regularly at the Alberta Lounge in Montreal, which was also broadcast by a local radio station. In 1949, Norman Granz discovered him there, and introduced him as a surprise guest at New York’s Carnegie Hall as part of his Jazz-at-the-Philharmonic tour. After that, they toured together for two years through in American concert halls. Finally, in 1952, Peterson formed a new trio with bassist Ray Brown. Initially, Barney Kessel joined on guitar, who was replaced a year later by Herb Ellis – in this line-up the trio became world famous.
In 1949, Evelyn Lambart and Norman McLaren created a remarkable animated film for which the Oscar Peterson Trio (called old-fashioned “Terzett” in the German translation) with Bert Brown and Frank Gariepy contributed the music. Technically interesting, Lambart and McLaren painted and drew directly onto the film stock for this color film, rather than photographing it. The film was produced by the National Film Board of Canada; at the first Berlinale in 1951 it was awarded a silver medal in the Culture Films and Documentaries category.