Art Pepper

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Art Pepper
Art Pepper in 1979, Los Angeles; photo by Nathan Callahan
Art Pepper in 1979, Los Angeles; photo by Nathan Callahan
Background information
Birth name Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr.
Born September 1, 1925(1925-09-01)
Origin Flag of the United States Gardena, California, USA
Died June 15, 1982 (aged 56)
Genre(s) Cool jazz
West Coast jazz
Bop
Mainstream jazz
Hard bop
Post-bop
Occupation(s) Saxophonist
Instrument(s) Alto Saxophone
Tenor Saxophone
Clarinet
Associated acts Stan Kenton
Shorty Rogers

Art Pepper (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr. in Gardena, California, was an American alto saxophonist.

Contents

[edit] Career

He began his career in the 1940s, playing with Benny Carter and Stan Kenton. By the 1950s Pepper was recognized as one of the leading alto saxophonists in jazz, epitomized by his finishing second only to Charlie Parker as Best Alto Saxophonist in the Downbeat Readers Poll of 1952. Along with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan and Shelly Manne, and perhaps due more to geography than playing style, Pepper is often relegated to the somewhat derisive musical movement known as West Coast jazz, characterized by precision and technique over "musical feeling," which more typified the East Coast (or "hot") jazz associated with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Yet, Pepper's music does not neatly fit any particular musical mode.

Perhaps most famous for his recurring legal transgressions, stemming from his addiction to heroin, Pepper had several memorable and productive "comebacks" throughout his career. Inexplicably, his substance abuse and legal travails did not affect the quality of his recordings, which maintained a high level of musicianship throughout his career until his death from a brain hemmorrhage.

Examples of Pepper's most famous albums from this period are Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, Art Pepper + Eleven - Modern Jazz Classics, Gettin' Together, and Smack Up. Representative music from this time appears on The Aladdin Recordings (three volumes), The Early Show, The Late Show, The Complete Surf Ride, and The Way It Was!, which features a session recorded with Warne Marsh.

[edit] Personal life

Pepper lived for many years in the hills of Echo Park, in Los Angeles. He had become 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 Pepper spent time in Synanon, a drug rehabilitation group.

After beginning methadone therapy in the mid-1970s, Art had a musical comeback and recorded a series of highly acclaimed albums. Albums from this later period include Living Legend, Art Pepper Today, Among Friends, and Live in Japan: Vol. 2.

His autobiography, Straight Life (1980) (transcribed by his third wife Laurie Pepper), is a unique exploration into the jazz music world, as well as drug and criminal subcultures of mid-20th 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. There is also an interview with Laurie Pepper available on NPR.

[edit] Discography

1951 Popo - w/ Shorty Rogers Xanadu Records
1952 The Early Show Xanadu Records
1952 The Late Show Xanadu Records
1952 Surf Ride Savoy
1952 A Night at the Surf Club, Vol. 1 [live] EPM
1952 A Night at the Surf Club, Vol. 1 [live] Xanadu
1952 A Night at the Surf Club, Vol. 2 [live] EPM
1952 A Night at the Surf Club, Vol. 2 [live] Xanadu
1952 Art Pepper: Sonny Redd Savoy
1953 Art Pepper Quartet: Volume 1 Time Is
1954 Art Pepper Quintet Discovery
1956 Val's Pal VSOP
1956 The Art Pepper Quartet Tampa/OJC
1956 The Artistry of Pepper Pacific Jazz
1957 Show Time Japanese Import
1957 Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section Contemporary/OJC
1957 The Art of Pepper, Vol. 3 Blue Note
1957 The Art of Pepper, Vol. 1 VSOP
1957 The Art of Pepper, Vol. 2 VSOP
1957 Mucho Calor (Much Heat) Andex/VSOP/TOFREC
1958 The Art Pepper: Red Norvo Sextet Score
1959 Art Pepper + Eleven - Modern Jazz Classics Contemporary/OJC
1959 Two Altos Savoy
1960 Gettin' Together Contemporary/OJC
1960 Smack Up Contemporary/OJC
1960 Intensity Contemporary/OJC
1963 Pepper/Manne Charlie Parker
1964 Art Pepper Quartet in San Francisco (1964) [live] Fresh Sound
1975 Garden State Jam Sessions [live] Lone Hill Jazz
1975 I'll Remember April: Live at Foothill College Storyville
1975 Living Legend Contemporary/Original Jazz Classics
1976 The Trip Contemporary/OJC
1977 A Night in Tunisia [live] Storyville
1977 No Limit Contemporary/OJC
1977 Tokyo Debut [live] Galaxy
1977 Thursday Night at the Village Vanguard [live] Contemporary/OJC
1977 Friday Night at the Village Vanguard [live] Contemporary/OJC
1977 Saturday Night at the Village Vanguard [live] Contemporary/OJC
1977 More for Les: at the Village Vanguard Vol. 4 [live] Contemporary/OJC
1977 San Francisco Samba: Live at Keystone Korner Contemporary
1977 The Gauntlet / Original Sound Track Warner Bros.
1978 Live in Japan, Vol. 1: Ophelia Storyville
1978 Live in Japan, Vol. 2 Storyville
1978 Among Friends Discovery
1978 Art Pepper Today Original Jazz Classics
1978 Birds and Ballads Galaxy
1979 So in Love APO
1979 New York Album Original Jazz Classics
1979 Artworks Galaxy
1979 Tokyo Encore [live] Dreyfus
1979 Landscape [live]Galaxy/OJC
1979 Straight Life Galaxy/OJC
1980 Winter Moon Galaxy/OJC
1980 One September Afternoon Galaxy/OJC
1981 Art Pepper with Duke Jordan in Copenhagen 1981 [live] Galaxy
1981 Art Lives Galaxy
1981 Roadgame [live] Galaxy/OJC
1981 Art 'N' Zoot WestWind
1981 Arthur's Blues Original Jazz Classics
1982 Goin' Home Original Jazz Classics
1982 Tête-à-Tête Galaxy/OJC
1982 Darn That Dream Real Time
19?? Art Pepper with Warne Marsh Victor (aka The Way it Was! Contemporary))
19?? Summer Knows Absord
19?? Art in L.A. WestWind

As a sideman:

1956 Hoagy Sings Carmichael Pacific Jazz (with Hoagy Carmichael)
1956 The Marty Paich Quartet featuring Art Pepper Tampa/VSOP (with Marty Paich)
1968 Mercy, Mercy Pacific Jazz (with Buddy Rich)
1979 California Hard Xanadu Records (with Dolo Coker)
1979 Very R.A.R.E. Konnex Records (with Elvin Jones)
1980 Blues For The Fisherman [Live] Mole (with Milcho Leviev)
1980 True Blues [Live] Mole (with Milcho Leviev)
1982 Richie Cole And... Return to Alto Acres Palo Alto (with Richie Cole)

[edit] Transcriptions

Published Transcriptions:

  • Jazz Styles and Analysis: Alto Sax by Harry Miedema. Chicago, Fifth Printing, Feb. 1979. Includes Broadway.
  • Straight Life: the Story of Art Pepper by Art Pepper and Laurie Pepper. New York and London, 1979. ISBN 0028718208. Includes the head of Straight Life.
  • Jazz 2: Sax Alto. Transcribed by John Robert Brown. International Music Publications, Woodford Green, Essex, 1986. ISBN 0863594085. Includes 'Round Midnight.
  • The Genius of Art Pepper. Foreword by Laurie Pepper. North Sydney, Warner/Chappell Music, 1987. ISBN 1863620125. Includes: Arthur's Blues; Blues for Blanche; Funny Blues; Landscape; Make a List Make a Wish; Mambo de la Pinta; Mambo Koyama; Mr Big Falls his J.G. Hand; Our Song; Road Game; September Song; Tete a Tete. All transcriptions include parts for Alto and Rhythm; Funny Blues also has a part for Trumpet.
  • Masters of the Alto Saxophone Play The Blues. Jazz Alto Solos. Transcribed by Trent Kynaston and Jonathan Ball. Corybant Productions, 1990. Includes True Blues.
  • The Art Pepper Collection. Foreword by Jeff Sultanof. Milwaukee, Hal Leonard, 1995. ISBN 0793540070. Includes: Art's Oregano; Diane; Landscape; Las Cuevas de Mario; Make a List (Make a Wish); Mr. Big Falls his J.G. Hand; Ophelia; Pepper Returns; Sometime; Straight Life; Surf Ride(I); Surf Ride(II); That's Love; The Trip; Waltz Me Blues.
  • West Coast Jazz Saxophone Solos transcribed and edited by Robert A. Luckey, Ph.D. Features 15 recorded solos from 1952-1961, including five solos by Art Pepper. Olympia Music Publishing, 1996. ISBN 0966704711.

Transcriptions available on the Internet:

[edit] Bibliography

  • 1956 Art Pepper... Tells the Tragic Role Narcotics Played in Blighting His Career and Life by John Tynan. Downbeat, 19 September, 1956, p.16.
  • 1957 Art Pepper Quartet by John Tynan. Downbeat, 16 May, 1957, p.34.
  • 1960 Art Pepper: Profile of a Comeback by J. McKinney. Metronome, lxxvii, September 1960, p.26.
  • 1960 The Return of Art Pepper by John Tynan. Downbeat, xxvii/8, 1960, p.17.
  • 1960 End of the Road by John Tynan. Downbeat, xxvii/25, 1960, p.13.
  • 1964 Art Pepper's not the Same by John Tynan. Downbeat, xxxi/22, 1964, p.18.
  • 1965 "Jazz Discographies Unlimited" Presents "Art Pepper". A Complete Discography Compiled by Ernie Edwards, Jr. Ernie Edwards Jr. et al. Jazz Discographies Unlimited, Spotlight Series, Vol. 4. Oct. 1965. 22pp.
  • 1973 Art Pepper: 'I'm Here to Stay!' by C. Marra. Downbeat, xl/4, 1973, p.16.
  • 1975 Pepper's Painful Road to Pure Art by L. Underwood. Downbeat, xlii/11, 1975, p.16.
  • 1979 Straight Life: the Story of Art Pepper by Art Pepper and Laurie Pepper. New York and London, 1979. ISBN 0028718208. Includes a discography.
  • 1979 Art Pepper: Rewards of the Straight Life by P. Welding. Downbeat, xlvi/18, 1979, p.16.
  • 1979 The Contemporary Art of Pepper by Chris Sheridan. Jazz Journal International, Vol. 32, No. 9, September 1979, p.9.
  • 1979 The evolution of an individualist; Interview with Les Tomkins.
  • 1980 Art Pepper. Swing Journal, xxxiv/1, 1980, p.162.
  • 1980 At Ronnie's; Interview with Les Tomkins.
  • 1980 A rich past, and a bright future; Interview with Les Tomkins.
  • 1981 New fields still to conquer; Interview with Les Tomkins.
  • 1981 The Whiteness of the Wail by Gary Giddins, in Riding on a Blue Note. New York, O.U.P., 1981, pp.252-257. (An article originally published in July 1977.)
  • 1986 Art Pepper: I Want to Play so Bad by David Nicholson Pepperell. Wire Magazine, Issue 28, June 1986, pp.26-31.
  • 1986 Art Pepper, 1926-1982 by Gary Giddins, in Rhythm-a-ning: Jazz Tradition and Innovation in the 80's. New York, O.U.P., 1986, pp.106-108. (An article originally published in June 1982.)
  • 1992 Straight Life by Ted Gioia, in West Coast Jazz: Modern Jazz in California, 1945-1960. New York and Oxford, O.U.P., 1992, pp.283-307 (Chapter Fourteen). ISBN 0195089162.
  • 2000 The Art Pepper Companion: Writings on a Jazz Original by Todd Selbert. Cooper Square Press, 2000. ISBN 0815410670; ISBN-13 9780815410676.

[edit] External links