Artist: Art Pepper
Genre(s):
Jazz
Discography:
Living Legend
Year: 2006
Tracks: 7
Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section
Year: 1991
Tracks: 9
Straight Life - The Savoy Sessions
Year:
Tracks: 13
Despite a unmistakably colourful and hard life, Art Pepper was quite uniform in the recording studios; virtually every recording he made is well worth acquiring. In the mid-fifties he was one of the few altoists (along with Lee Konitz and Paul Desmond) that was able to develop his have sound contempt the dominant influence of Charlie Parker. During his terminal age, Pepper seemed to put all of his life's experiences into his music and he played with startling emotional intensity.
Subsequently a brief stretch with Gus Arnheim, Pepper played with mostly contraband groups on Central Avenue in Los Angeles. He dog-tired a little time in the Benny Carter and Stan Kenton orchestras in front portion time in the military (1944-1946). Some of Pepper's happiest days were during his age with Stan Kenton (1947-1952), although he became a heroin freak in that period. The fifties establish the alto saxophonist recording frequently both as a drawing card and a sideman, resulting in at least two classics (Plays Modern Jazz Classics and Meets the Rhythm Section), only he also exhausted 2 periods in jailhouse due to drug offenses during 1953-1956. Pepper was in top class during his Contemporary recordings of 1957-1960, only the first half of his calling complete abruptly with long prison sentences that dominated the sixties. His periodic gigs between jailhouse terms establish him adopting a harder spirit influenced by John Coltrane that demented some of his longtime followers. He recorded with Buddy Rich in 1968 in front acquiring earnestly ill and rehabilitating at Synanon (1969-1971). Art Pepper began his serious counter in 1975 and the unthinkable happened. Under the guidance and inspiration of his wife Laurie, Pepper not solely healed his former form just topped himself with intense solos that were quite an unequalled; he as well enjoyed at times playacting clarinet. His recordings for Contemporary and Galaxy rank with the greatest work of his vocation. Pepper's autobiography Straight Life (written with his wife) is a viciously honest book that inside information his sometimes frightful life. When Art Pepper died at the years of 56, he had attained his goal of comme il faut the world's capital altoist.
