lect (15) 2005

DISC 1

01. Pepper Returns (A) 4:26
02. Broadway (A) 4:56
03. You Go To My Head (A) 4:15
04. Angel Wings (A) 4:40
05. Funny Blues (A) 4:36
06. Five More (A) 4:37
07. Minority (A) 4:17
08. Patricia (A) 3:33         play
09. Mambo De La Pinta (A) 4:14
10. Walkin' Out Blues (A) 5:52
11. Straight Life (B) 3:19    play
12. Yardbird Suite (B) 5:43
13. Pepper Steak (B) 3:48
14. You're Driving Me Crazy (B) 5:06
15. Tenor Blooz (B) 4:59

DISC 2

01. Blues In (C1) 6:00
02. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered (C1) 4:25
03. Stompin' At The Savoy (C1) 5:04
04. What Is This Thing Called Love (C1) 6:03
05. Blues Out (C1) 4:45
06. Diane's Dilemma (C2) 3:47    play
07. When You're Smiling (C2) 4:50
08. Cool Bunny (C2) 4:12
09. Summertime (C2) 7:17
10. Diane's Dilemma (alt. take) (C2) 4:54
11. What Is This Thing Called Love (D) 5:29
12. A Foggy Day (D) 3:53
13. Diane-A-Flow (D) 4:02
14. Zenobia (D) 5:14
15. Angel Eyes (D) 3:38          play   

DISC 3

01. Holiday Flight (E) 5:08
02. Too Close For Comfort (E) 6:08
03. Long Ago And Far Away (E) 4:07
04. Begin The Beguine (E) 7:20
05. I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me (E) 5:37
06. Summertime (E) 6:30
07. Fascinatin' Rhythm (E) 4:23
08. Body And Soul (E) 4:20
09. Without A Song (E) 7:37 Youmans-Rose-Eliscu)
10. The Breeze And I (E) 3:30                      play
11. Surf Ride (E) 4:42
12. Webb City (E) 4:54
13. Begin The Beguine (alternate take) (E) 6:15
14. Fascinatin' Rhythm (alternate take) (E) 3:59   play
15. Webb City (alternate take) (E) 4:33

**
(A) Art Pepper, alto sax; Jack Sheldon, trumpet; Russ Freeman, piano, Leroy Vinnegar, bass; Shelly Manne, drums.
Recorded at Capitol Studios, Los Angeles on August 1956.
Recording engineer; John Kraus
Originally issued on THE RETURN OF ART PEPPER (Jazz West JWLP-10)

(B) Art Pepper, alto sax, tenor sax; Red Norvo, vibes; Gerald Wiggins, piano; Ben Tucker, bass; Joe Morello, drums.
Recorded at Western Recorders, Los Angeles on January 3, 1957
Recording engineer: Don Blake
Originally issued on COLLECTIONS - JOE MORELLO (Intro ILP-608)

(C) Art Pepper, alto sax; Russ Freeman, piano; Ben Tucker, bass; Chuck Flores, drums.
C1 recorded at Radio Recorders, Los Angeles on December 28, 1956
Recording engineer: Thomas Nogar
C2 recorded at Master Recorder, Los Angeles on January 14, 1957
Recording engineer: Bunny Robine
#1-8 Originally issued on MODERN ART (Intro ILP-606)
#9 & 10 originally issued on the CD version of MODERN ART (Blue Note B2-46868)

(D) Art Pepper, alto sax; Bill Perkins, tenor sax; Jimmy Rowles, piano; Ben Tucker, bass; Mel Lewis, drums.
Recorded at the Radio Annex Studio in Los Angeles on December 11, 1956
"Angel Eyes", which does not include Pepper, originally issued on SOLO FLIGHT (Pacific Jazz JWC 505)
All others originally issued on JUST FRIENDS - BILL PERKINS Pacific Jazz PJM 401

(E) Art Pepper, alto sax; Carl Perkins, piano; Ben Tucker, bass; Chuck Flores, drums.
Recorded at Audio Arts, Los Angeles on April 1, 1957
The alternate takes were originally issued on THE ART OF THE ART Nadja (Japan) PA-3140/41.
All others originally issued on THE ART OF PEPPER (Omega reel-to-reel tapes OMT 7020 & ST-2030)

Original sessions produced by Herbert Kimmel (A), Don Clark (B, C, probably E), Richard Bock (D). 
Session E is stereo. All others are mono.

Note: The periodic cymbal distortion on session E is in the original tapes, as is the flutter at 1:56 of "Holiday Flight", the drop-out at 5:06 of "Begin The Beguine" and the muffled audio at 3:48 on "Surf City".

Featuring Art Pepper's 1956 and 1957 Aladdin sessions, which have been issued on The Return of Art Pepper (Jazz West), Collections (Intro), Modern Art (Blue Note), Just Friends (Pacific Jazz), Solo Flight (Pacific Jazz), The Art of Pepper (Omega) and The Art of the Art (Nadja), Mosaic's 3-CD boxed set portrays the alto saxophonist in familiar company, full of life and at his best. The collection includes several bonus tracks, alternate takes, and material that was previously available only on reel-to-reel tape.

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1. Smack Up (4:19)
2. Las Cuevas De Mario (7:11)
3. A Bit Of Basie (7:25)
4. How Can You Loose (6:56)
5. Maybe Next Year (4:25)			play
6. Tears Inside (7:44)
7. Solid Citizens [Take 33]
8. Solid Citizens [Take 37]

Lineup:
Art Pepper (alto saxophone); 
Jack Sheldon (trumpet); 
Pete Jolly (piano); 
Jimmy Bond (bass); 
Frank Butler (drums).

Art Pepper’s reckless lifestyle tended to overshadow his superb musicianship, and the circumstances surrounding Smack Up are certainly no exception. Shortly after recording it in 1960, he spent three years in jail for heroin possession, and one can only wonder if the title of the record is a play on words. Nevertheless, Pepper is in good form, as he usually was despite his troubles, darting over the changes and stitching together sharp, boppish lines without hesitation. Featuring a crack rhythm section and a subtle accompanist in trumpeter Jack Sheldon, one can easily expect a set of expertly played jazz.

However, this album is different from the usual West Coast program of standards and show tunes, in that it features songs composed by other saxophonists associated with the Contemporary label, from the famous (Carter) to the infamous (Coleman) to the downright obscure (Duane Tatro and Jack Montrose). Most of these songs are inspired originals that never would have been recorded again had Pepper not resuscitated them, and the varied selection of artists and styles gives the album a wider reach than Pepper’s other records, or most West Coast records for that matter.

The end result is a set that runs through various directions of music from the high-powered swing of Buddy Collette’s “A Bit of Basie” to the hard bop of “Smack Up” to the edgy leanings of the Tatro tune “Maybe Next Year.” The quintet even explores a soulful groove more commonly found on Blue Note releases with Pepper’s own “Las Cuevas de Mario” (in 5/4) and Montrose’s “Solid Citizens.” Appropriately Jolly sits out for the Coleman tune while Pepper and Sheldon wander over the changes, a little more tentatively than Ornette did.

But the strength of the album, other than the terrific playing, is just that it sounds different, an unexpected foray into little known songs that features energy and swing in equal doses. Perhaps the novelty of the music forced the musicians to approach the material more creatively or purposefully, but whatever the reason, Smack Up is one of the highlights of Pepper’s career, a record that shows that despite his sordid life, he was a master on his instrument. ---David Rickert, allaboutjazz.com

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1  Trip (Original Take)  	(8:57)  	   	
2  Trip (Alternate Take) 	(13:03) 		
3  Song for Richard 	(6:20)		play 		
4  Sweet Love of Mine 	(6:37) 		
5  Junior Cat 		(7:50) 		
6  Summer Knows 	(7:11) 		
7  Red Car 		(5:47)

Personnel:
Art Pepper (saxophone)
George Cables (piano)
David Williams (bass)
Elvin Jones (drums).

Art Pepper made a name for himself around Los Angeles in the '50s as a leading light in the style then known as West Coast jazz -- a cool alternative to the hot hard bop being made in East Coast cities like New York and Philadelphia. Pepper never really fit the cool stereotype, however; he was too incendiary a soloist (influenced by Lester Young, perhaps, and Bird certainly), more inclined to inject overt anger and passion into his playing than contemporaries like Getz or Mulligan. By the time these sides were made in 1976, any residual coolness had been displaced by hot emotionalism and an almost manic intensity. The lessons of John Coltrane had clearly been absorbed, harmonically and otherwise; not only was Pepper more assertive than ever, but he also took more chances. Polish is for shoes and fingernails: by the late '70s Pepper was rough, raw, and nakedly vulnerable. Every solo this late in his career was an adventure. On this record the adventure is joined by ex-Coltrane drummer Elvin Jones, who doesn't interact with Pepper as much as one might expect, but nevertheless puts down the hard grooves the altoist needed to be at his best. There's a bit of a tentative cast to much of this record, almost as if the musicians were not yet completely comfortable with one another. Pepper's playing is first-rate, however: his interpretation of Michel Legrand's melody, "The Summer Knows," is by itself worth the price of the album. Given that he would not live many years longer after its recording, this one is a keeper. ---Chris Kelsey, All Music Guide

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1. "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" (Cole Porter) –5:30
2. "Red Pepper Blues" (Red Garland) –3:39				download
3. "Imagination" (Johnny Burke–Jimmy Van Heusen) –5:56
4. "Waltz Me Blues" (Paul Chambers–Art Pepper) –2:58			download
5. "Straight Life" (Art Pepper) –4:02
6. "Jazz Me Blues" (Delaney) –4:50
7. "Tin Tin Deo" (Fuller–Pozo) –7:42
8. "Star Eyes" (DePaul–Raye) –5:12
9. "Birks Works" (Dizzy Gillespie) –4:15

Musicians:
* Art Pepper — alto saxophone
* Red Garland — piano
* Paul Chambers — bass
* Philly Joe Jones — drums

The rhythm section in question here belonged to Miles Davis in Los Angeles, one fine day in January 1957. Pepper had made a name for himself in Stan Kenton's band, but this was really the first time he found himself in the studio with a rhythm section such as Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. In his fascinating biography, Straight Life, Pepper tells the story of the date when, after not playing for six months, he was told of the session that morning. He pieced together a broken horn, went in, and blew. Not completely remembering the first tune "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," he voices a line that both invokes the melody and refashions it. The rest of the session shows just how high Pepper rose to the occasion. It's one of the most important recordings of his career. ---Michael Monhart, Editorial Reviews

This date is traditionally seen as a watershed in Pepper's career, both in aesthetic terms and in terms of public recognition. Miles Davis was playing on the West Coast, & Les Koenig set up this date in which Pepper sits in with Davis's rhythm section (Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, Philly Joe Jones on drums). Famously, Koenig & Pepper's wife Diane kept the date a secret from Pepper until the morning of the session, fearing that he'd be too nervous to agree to working with such a formidable group of East Coast musicians. Pepper was also deep in his drug problems, & hadn't picked up his instrument for ages. (The story is told in Pepper's autobiography _Straight Life_; I suspect there's a certain amount of self-mythologizing, but....) Almost miraculously, this hastily arranged pick-up date, with its assortment of easily-picked standards and a couple originals, turned out to be one of the best jazz records of the 1950s.

It's not perhaps surprising that Pepper & the Davis rhythm section hit it off. Pepper's style, though certainly strongly influenced by Charlie Parker, still is grounded in his affection for earlier saxophonists like Benny Carter & Lester Young; his repertoire often included pre-bop standards like "I Can't Believe You're in Love with Me" or, on this recording, "Jazz Me Blues" (from the Bix Beiderbecke/Frankie Trumbauer records). His signature tune, "Straight Life", given a superb reading here, is a lightning-fast contrafact on the old standard "After You've Gone". Miles Davis was similarly in the 1950s exploring 1920s and 1930s pop songs that the original boppers would rarely have touched (there's a telling anecdote in Davis's autobiography, about his struggle to get a cocky young Jackie McLean to learn the old standards instead of just concentrating on modern tunes). -- But Pepper was also pointing ahead to the future: though he was an elegantly pointed player with a great tone, his sound sometimes has distortions & bends that give great emotional impact to his playing (he is light-years away from the glibness & overrelaxation which sometimes afflicted West Coast jazz), an approach that was to make him one of the first of the older musicians to recognize the importance of Ornette Coleman & John Coltrane, & to incorporate elements of their freedom into his playing.

This is an essential modern jazz album. Those who enjoy it wll want to search out Pepper's other albums for Contemporary, such as the superb _Intensity_. There's also a fine disc called _The Way It Was!_, consisting of a first-rate previously unreleased session with Warne Marsh, & a bunch of outtakes, including one discarded tune from the _Rhythm Section_ sessions ("The Man I Love", if memory serves). Fans of Pepper tend to divide into two batches--those who love the work up to 1960 (before his extended sabbatical, first in San Quentin then in Synanon); & those who idolize the later work from the 1970s. I mostly belong to the first group; to my mind, the run of Contemporary albums Pepper did between 1955 and 1960 is one of the central documents in postwar jazz. --- N. Dorward "obsessive reviewer" (Toronto, ON Canada)

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1		I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me (Orig. Take)	5:23
2		I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me (Alt. Take)	5:33
3		All The Things You Are (Orig. Take)	6:32
4		All The Things You Are (Alt. Take)	6:26
5		What's New	4:04
6		Avalon	3:50
7		Tickle Toe	4:50
8		Warnin' (Take 1)	6:06
9		Warnin' (Take 2)	5:50
10		Stomping At The Savoy	5:50

Alto Saxophone – Art Pepper
Bass – Ben Tucker
Drums – Gary Frommer
Piano – Ronnie Ball
Tenor Saxophone – Warne Marsh

A really excellent studio album with Warne Marsh. Superb recording quality and a wonderful collaboration. I have everything available for Art Pepper and this is one of my favorites. ---Thelonious, amazon.com

Marvelous work between Pepper and Warne Marsh (ts). ---Ronn Wynn, allmusic.com

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CD1:
01 – Blues For Blanche
02 – Talk Intros, Cat People
03 – Ophelia
04 – Talk Thank You For Coming
05 – Make A List
06 – Talk About Make A List
07 – Sad A Little Bit
08 – Talk Clarinet
09 – Anthropology				play
10 – Red Car
11 – Blues For Bould

CD2
01 – Untitled #34
02 – Talk Weird Noise
03 – A Song For Richard
04 – Talk Rhythm-A-Ning Intro
05 – Rhythm-A-Ning
06 – Talk Rita San Intro
07 – Rita San false start
08 – Rita San					play
09 – What’s New
10 – I’ll Remember April
11 – Talk Good Night

CD3:
01 – True Blues
02 – Talk- Band & Ophelia Intros
03 – Ophelia
04 – Make A List
05 – Stardust
06 – Talk- 3 Out Of 4; False Start- Red Car
07 – Red Car
08 – Talk- About Straight Life		
09 – Straight Life				play

CD4:
01 – Untitled #34
02 – Talk Reminiscing
03 – The Trip
04 – Talk Accident Prone
05 – I’ll Remember April
06 – Talk Goodbye Intro
07 – Goodbye + Talk A Great Song
08 – In A Mellow Tone				play
09 – Talk Clarinet
10 – Blues For The Fisherman + Talk I

Art Pepper - alto sax 
Milcho Leviev - Piano, 
Tony Dumas - Bass, 
Carl Burnett - Drums. 

"The Twelve Bars of the Decade." Blues for the Fisherman was hailed by one jazz journalist as just that when four of these tracks were released in the U.K. in 1980 by Mole Jazz. That LP remained at the top of the British jazz charts for well over a year, so Mole eventually released a second album from the same session. Fans all over the world have worn those LPs out and have been clamoring for 30 years to hear it all, everything that happened during those two historic nights at Ronnie Scott's, part of Art Pepper's first-ever tour of Europe.

Laurie Pepper, the alto saxophonist's widow and owner of Widow's Taste Records, says there is a logic to releasing everything. “Art was a storyteller," explains Laurie. “Every tune was a vehicle, a way for him to express his life of pain and glory. He loved to talk about it, too. Communication, soul to soul, was what he aimed for. When we listen to these sets, we hear a narrative: In the music and between the tunes Art keeps us, the audience, informed. He lets us track the skill, persistence, anguish, and exhilaration of the process of performing, the story of an artist at work. From the stage he tells us what is and isn't working as he sees it at the moment. He reveals how nervous he is and how grateful for a sympathetic crowd to whom he jokes, complains, explains, and reminisces."

The band features Milcho Leviev, “The Bulgarian genius" (Arnaldo DeSouteiro) and frequent Pepper sideman. He was putative leader of this session. (Art was then under contract to Galaxy Records, which would not permit him to record as leader for any other label, however obscure). Also in the band: the young, exciting Tony Dumas on bass and Art's favorite drummer, Carl Burnett.

At Mole's behest, Art plays some tunes less usual for him in 1980: “Stardust," “Rita San," “Untitled #34," “Blues for the Fisherman." He also plays familiar favorites, “What's New," “Goodbye," “I'll Remember April," “A Song for Richard," “Rhythm-A-Ning," and his own: “The Trip," “Ophelia," “True Blues, “Red Car," “Make a List," and of course “Straight Life" (while announcing it Art plugs his autobiography of the same name, about to be released in England later that year). And he plays clarinet, as well, on “Anthropology" and “In a Mellow Tone." Every set at Ronnie's was a little piece of art, a composition, lovingly constructed for an eager and perceptive audience.

The 4-CD set, with 25 tracks plus bonus tracks of talk, was transferred from original analog tapes at 192 kHz and remastered for CD. The booklet includes Laurie's personal photos and 24 pages of notes describing Art's emotions and preoccupations, how he felt about the situation's pressures and delights. She talks about “The Fisherman," and, as usual, she gives us her own amused, nonplussed, and dazzled take on all of it.

Laurie Pepper launched the Widow's Taste label in 2006 in order to introduce Art to a generation who “may not know how soulful jazz can be," to offer an alternative to the shoddy wares of bootleggers, and to satisfy the blessedly insatiable desires of Art's knowledgeable fans. Using previously unreleased sessions recorded by radio stations or picked up surreptitiously by fans, she's inspired to keep going by those fans and by the overwhelming praise of critics. --- Terri Hinte, allaboutjazz.com

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01. Art's Opus 5:48
02. I Surrender, Dear Barris, 5:31
03. Diane Pepper 3:35               play
04. Pepper Pot Pepper 5:03
05. Besame Mucho Skylar, Velazquez 4:00
06. Blues at Twilight Pepper 3:58   play
07. Val's Pal Pepper 2:03

Art Pepper- (Alto Sax, Clarnet); 
Russ Freeman - (Piano); 
Ben Tucker - (Bass); 
Gary Frommer - (Drums).

"The Art Pepper Quartet," originally recorded for the Tampa label and reissued on CD by OJC, is one of the alto-saxophonist's best early albums. The session was recorded on November 25, 1956 and features Russ Freeman on piano, Ben Tucker on bass, and Gary Frommer on drums. "The Tampa Quartet," as it is affectionately referred to by collectors, along with the three volumes of the Complete Aladdin Recordings on Blue Note (two of which are currently out-of-print), are without a doubt his best work from the early to mid-1950s, and should be preferred hands down to titles like "Surf Ride" (see my review). With that being said, this disc gets four stars for two reasons. Even with five alternate takes the CD logs in at less than 45 minutes, and there are just so many other classic Pepper CDs available from OJC, including "Smack Up," "Intensity," "Meets the Rhythm Section" and "Gettin' Together" (see my review of the latter) that interested parties should start elsewhere and work their way to "Tampa." By Michael B. Richman.

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1. Ophelia (Art Pepper) 7:54
2. Here’s That Rainy Day (James Van Heusen/Johnny Burke) 5:42
3. What Laurie Likes (Art Pepper) 6:44
4. Mr. Yohe (Art Pepper) 7:13
5. Lost Life (Art Pepper) 5:57
6. Samba Mom-Mom (Art Pepper) 8:19
7. Samba Mom-Mom (alternate track) (Art Pepper) 6:59  play

Art Pepper (Sax Alt)
Hampton Hawes (Piano)
Charlie Haden (Contrabass)
Shelly Manne (Drums)

Art Pepper, one of the major bop altoists to emerge during the '50s, started his comeback with this excellent set, Living Legend. After 15 years filled with prison time and fighting drug addiction, Pepper was finally ready to return to jazz. Accompanied by three of his old friends (pianist Hampton Hawes, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Shelly Manne), Pepper displays a more explorative and darker style than he had previously. He also shows a greater emotional depth in his improvisations and was open to some of the innovations of the avant-garde in his search for greater self-expression. Although this recording would be topped by the ones to come, the music (five Pepper originals and an intense version of "Here's That Rainy Day") is quite rewarding. --- Scott Yanow, Rovi

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