Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section

The AMG review for it says "A diamond of recorded jazz history." Sounds good .

 

And Art was SO strung out during this recording...

 

I think that's the recording session where Art hadn't played his horn in like five months, and his wife scheduled the session without telling him and tricked him into going down to the studio, and he had to get his horn out of hock and didn't have any good reeds and all of that stuff. When he found out it was "The Rhythm Section" he wanted to bail but they made him stay (if I'm remembering this correctly). So, yeah, as Ed's pointing out it's pretty amazing how the session ended up being such a brilliant one. I sound like crap in the studio when I've been practicing my butt off! I can't imagine what going in cold like that would be like...(Of course, I can't really imagine what being a junky who drills holes in hotel room walls to spy on the couple in the next room would be like, or how it was to be a white guy whose black rhythm section vibed him on the stand for being an "ofay," so there's much about Art Pepper that perplexes and fascinates me.)

 

Well, something was baked that day, I guess.

 

I just got the latest edition of the Penguin guide to Jazz on CD and this is in their list of all-time great recordings - "Core Collection" ...but it does say:

"Pepper wasn't even aware of the session till the morning of the date, hadn't played in two weeks, was going through difficult times with his narcotics problem and didn't know any of the material they played . Yet it emerges as a poetic,burning date with all four men playing above themselves."


I also noticed another one to pick up - Kenny Dorham Round about Midnight at the Cafe Bohemia

 

That rhythm section could make Tiny Tim swing...

 

PS - this might be a good Xmas list present for any Jazz fans ...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/01...3?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance

 

Any you cats read 'Straight Life' authored by Art and his wife Laurie?

By the way, this will be one of my last posts......I think i'm goin' the way of Branstetter and Ray Parker.

 

Then you better e-mail me every day, mother****er.

 

:scowl:

 

What, you're going to start voting Republican? Well, to each his own. I for one will miss you if you split, but I know how TB can occupy one's time...

By the way, Paul, I was thumbing through this biography of Buddy DeFranco the other day, doing some research, and lo and behold there you were onstage with him! It was a nice photo, looked like it was from the seventies and if I'm not mistaken your bass had an odd number of strings on it.

 

I just found this album yesterday in the vinyl section of Sam The Record Man in Toronto. I think Art Pepper is my new favourite altoist! His playing is so much more to my taste than others. The biggest thing I've noticed about the playing on this record is the way that this group approached soloing and improvisation...in as much as the soloistic voices are much more than just sax and piano. I spent months listening to records with PC playing bass on them, and within the last couple weeks, I've only just now heard ones where he solos. Side A of this record contained more PC soloing time than I've ever heard before -- and I'm so glad I finally get to hear it. The same goes for Philly Jo Jones. The open-ness of the way they approach roles in the group is really cool, IMO, and not one I've commonly found in other "classic" jazz records.

Also, the absolute first thing I noticed was the clarity, as Pete mentioned. I can hear every note played by anyone. This sounds like an ideal record for transcription, not only because of the amazing playing, but the crystal clear sound quality.

 

I've heard nothing but good things about that recording.

 

Obviously, I didn't quit posting...thanks to guys like you Johono!
I haven't seen that picture, but I think there were five strings.