Art Pepper - Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section
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Free Music Notes for Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section
Free Music Review: Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the classic Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section. This album is great as a whole. It is mostly made up of pop and jazz standards, and originals. Done in the mid 50's when jazz was at one of its peaks, the album is a wonderful listen from start to finish.
Art Pepper, saxophonist on the west coast, was basically belonged to the west coast school of players along with Shelly Manne, Victor Feldman, Stan Getz, Conte Candoli, Gerry Mulligan, and Chet Baker. On this recording, Pepper is teamed up with a rhythm section from the east coast, consisting of pianist Red Garland, Paul Chambers on bass, and the fireous drumming of Philly Joe Jones.
This was a neat cut. The playing time is quite heafty, due to the number of tracks, with average playing times of about 4 minutes each. Art's playing isn't up to par as he stated. I believe he hadn't played in a long time prior to the recording of this album. His sound here is brittle, but is improvisations are spectacular.
You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To, is a nice standard with some blues influence. Philly Joe Jones' solo is beautiful as usual. The collaboration between Garland and Pepper results in Red Pepper Blues.
There is extraudinary playing throughout. Art blows through his original Straight Life, and the band's playing is as soulful as can be.
Art was a big fan of Dixieland jazz, as demonstrated on Jazz Me Blues, the old New Orleans standard. The fine Dizzy Gillespie piece Birk Works is a kicker! But the real highlight for me is Tin Tin Deo. This has one of the best "B" sections I have ever heard.
This is the west coast meets the east coast. The east coast musicians were said to be more soulful, as opposed to the mostly white, west coast school. This album prooves it isn't true. Art rips through the pieces and swings throughout. A classic recording! Has been loved by many for years.
Five stars!
Classic Art Pepper!
Free Music Review: The pinnacle of his career
Hit: 5 Stars
Having twice read Pepper's autobiography Straight Life, this CD was a must have after reading the enthralling section dealing with its production.
Of course most are familiar with his all consuming heroin addiction, but what some might not realize is that he hadn't played his horn whatsoever for about six months prior to this production date. He mentions in the book that his girlfriend essentially duped him into attending the session which was scheduled without his knowledge.
Pepper relates how he had completely and utterly devoted his life to junk prior to the date of this recording. Upon having heard that he was scheduled for this arguably most important date of his career he stared at his sax and wondered how he'd even get it to work properly, noting that it was in poor physical shape. He was only given a few hours notice and promptly got loaded on junk just before he arrived at the studio intimidated to be playing with Miles Davis' men.
A year after its release Down Beat gave this outstanding jazz album five out of five stars and it's easy to see why, smooth and melodic, it's what a quality sax CD should be all about, understated virtual perfection.
If you like Art Pepper's music you should find time to pick up one of the most candid and finest autobiographies ever written, Straight Life: The Story of Art Pepper.
Free Music Review: Even without Pepper's tall tales, the album is great
Hit: 5 Stars
Just to clarify some misinformation, unfortunately perpetuated first by Mr. Pepper himself, and taken for the truth by many an innocuous listener. The truth is, Art had played within six months, in fact so recently as five days prior! Did the man have no memory of the sessions on Dec. 11 '56 with Bill Perkins for the album "Just Friends," Dec. 28 '56 and Jan. 14 '57 that produced his own "Modern Art" album on Aladdin? I suppose the drugs might be blamed for memory loss, but I suspect it's safe to assume there was not a little myth-building in his autobiography, not only regarding "Meets the Rhythm Section." In any case, the music is jazz at its finest.
Also, a word about Les Koenig, the producer, saying Art hadn't recorded with musicians up to the caliber of Miles' rhythm section until this album; that's pure crap. Art, throughout 1956 recorded with the likes of Russ Freeman, Curtis Counce, Jimmy Heath, Carl Perkins, Ben Tucker, Shelly Manne, Chet Baker, Richie Kamuca (have I convinced you yet?) Bill Perkins, Warne Marsh, Stan Levey, Red Mitchell, Pete Jolly...
In any case, the album is great, and a great starting point if your just discovering the other greatest altoist (Lee Konitz is the other) after Charlie Parker (chronologically, that is). Enjoy!
Free Music Review: Essential to the Most Basic Library of Every Saxophonist
Hit: 5 Stars
I can understand a reaction such as the preceding reviewer's. After absorbing Sonny Stitt's logical, fluent, cohesive, structured, text-book solos delivered with as "embodied" a sound as any saxophonist could hope for, I initially experienced some disappointment upon hearing Pepper's more exploratory, fragmented melodic lines. Then I heard him go head to head with Stitt ("The Hollywood Sessions"), and he not only comes close to matching Sonny's technical proficiency but adds a hint of the unpredictable, of genuine risk-taking, that brings a dimension not present in the playing of Stitt, the music's "most perfect saxophonist."
The unmistakable emotion, even passion, that emerges in Pepper's later playing is not as evident on this more conservative 1950s recording. Still, even here Pepper manages to escape the stereotypical "cool" sound with which the West Coast scene was identified, playing with a warmer feel and less detachment and deliberativeness than his Coastal contemporary, Lee Konitz. (Anyone who believes Desmond's playing was emotionally distant, or that it emphasized wit and minimalism at the expense of heat and soul, needs to review his work with the Brubeck Quartet before "Take Five.")
Free Music Review: One of the best quartet albums ever
Hit: 5 Stars
A true classic from the 50's, I believe this album is one of the best quartet albums ever made. The stories surrounding the making of it are fascinating, but the music even more so. And that's where I'd like to focus on.It grabs you immediately when Red Garland starts the intro of "You'd be so nice to come home to". The tightness of the rhythm section is almost frightening. Especially the coda's of most tunes are simply unbelievable. The one I just play over and over again is "Red Pepper Blues".
And that's just one part of the record, because next to this amazing rhythm playing is Art Pepper. He is simply unique. Not relying on technique, but truely playing with his guts and in posession of one of the most beautiful alto sounds. And he's a great listener too: the way he blends with the rhythm section...
And that is what makes this a truely great record. The superb interplay, not just a rhythm section with a solist, but a 4-piece band, with each member fulfilling equal roles.
One of my all time favorite records, and the one I recommend most highly.