Art Pepper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr. (September 1, 1925–June 15, 1982) was an American jazz alto saxophonist. He began his musical career in the 1940s playing with Benny Carter and Stan Kenton. In the 1950s Pepper became one of the leading lights of West coast jazz, along with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, Shelly Manne, and others.
Pepper was born in San Pedro, California, but lived for many years in the hills of Echo Park, in Los Angeles. He became a heroin addict in the 1940s, and his career was interrupted by drug-related prison sentences in the 1950s and 1960s. In the late 1960s he spent time in Synanon, which at that time was a drug rehabilitation group. After beginning methadone therapy in the mid-1970s, Pepper enjoyed a musical comeback and recorded a series of highly acclaimed albums. His autobiography Straight Life (1980), co-written with his third wife Laurie Pepper, is a unique exploration into the jazz world and drug and criminal subcultures of mid-twentieth century California.
The documentary film Art Pepper: Notes from a Jazz Survivor, available on DVD, devotes much space to music from one of his late groups featuring pianist Milcho Leviev. Examples of Pepper's most famous albums are Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, The Aladdin Recordings (three volumes), Art Pepper + Eleven - Modern Jazz Classics, Gettin' Together, and Smack Up. Representative music from his early period appears on The Early Show, The Late Show, The Complete Surf Ride, and The Way It Was!; and from his prolific late period on The Living Legend, Art Pepper Today, Among Friends, and Live in Japan: Vol. 2. There is also an interview with Laurie Pepper available on NPR.
