Art Pepper: Live in Stuttgart - May 25, 1981

WIDOW'S TASTE RECORDS IS DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE...
...the latest in the collectors' series of Unreleased Art Pepper recordings.
Volume V, Stuttgart (1981) with Milcho Leviev, Bob Magnusson, and Carl Burnett (a 2 disc set), will be released on May 18th.

These performances have not been heard, except by those who were at the concert and those people who've been trading sub-rosa recordings over the years. (They're the people we have to thank for THIS material!) And even for those mad collectors, the exceptional remastering by Wayne Peet may make this feel new to them, too.
As usual, Art Pepper put his whole heart and soul and all his art into this concert, and it's hot, cool, swinging, soulful, rough, funky, and just ridiculously beautiful. This band had been on the road together for more than two years. Their communication with each other within the evolution of this music was magical and always surprising.
artpepper.net
www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ArtPepper

On this day...

On this day in 1957, Art Pepper recorded what many critics believe to be his masterpiece "Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section". The album features Art playing with Miles Davis' famous rhythm section from that era: Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. The story goes that Art Pepper was suffering from heroin addiction horribly at the time and was only told about the recording session that morning. According to Art's wonderful autobiography, Straight Life, he hadn't played in 6 months and had to piece together a broken horn for the session. Now under these circumstances you'd think the recording wouldn't have turned out so amazing, but as Marty Paich put it "(Art) gave his all, all the time. I never heard him lay back at any time. And that is an honest musician."

Here's the story in Art's own words, from Laurie Pepper's work in progress movie, "Straight Life",
starring James Intveld as Art Pepper:


"You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To":

-neville659537

Art Pepper Birthday

Today would be Art Pepper's 84th birthday, if he hadn't of passed away back in 1982. Art's always been my favorite alto saxophonist with his lyrical intense playing. His autobiography, 'Straight Life', written with his wife Laurie, is one of the greatest accounts of the life of a jazz musician ever put to paper. As friend and fellow musician Marty Paich put it, "Art gave his all, all the time. I never heard him lay back... And that is an honest musician."

Here's a couple of live videos showcasing both a young and old Art:





For more information on Art Pepper check out the website Straight Life.

Art History

As a respite from the recent Reason postings this evening I'd like to share with you one of my favorite jazz musicians of all time, Mr. Art Pepper. Art played with the same intensity that drove his life and lifestyle. Mr. Pepper spent a large portion of his adult life behind bars from drug related arrests. His playing conveys this... chasing the melody, chasing the dragon. Art Pepper and his widow, Laurie wrote a wonderful book on his life, called "Straight Life":

Straight Life

If you've never heard Art before I'd highly recommend starting with his seminal recording:

Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section

If you already have this cd, do yourself a favor and pick up the brand new release "The Art History Project". On Laurie Pepper's own "Widow's Taste" record label. 3 cds of some of the best jazz you'll find anywhere, played by a master:

The Art History Project

There's a great movie out on DVD called "Notes of a Jazz Survivor" on Art Pepper, here's a clip:



for more information check out:

Straight Life