Unreleased Art Pepper
Vol. 10 Toronto In 1977, Art Pepper's jazz comeback had been moving along
pretty quietly, and he was still playing bar mitzvahs and weddings, when
producer John Snyder helped engineer the alto saxophonist's first tour outside
California. With soul ablaze, with his defiant wit, and with the musical
mastery he'd honed throughout his reckless life, Pepper took his first step
onto the world stage at Toronto's Bourbon Street nightclub on June 16, 1977.
That night's triumphant performances are documented in the
new Widow's Taste 3-CD set, Unreleased Art Pepper Vol. 10: Toronto, which will
be released November 2. The absolute love with which Toronto jazz fans greeted
him surprised Art and gave him the boost he needed from the very start. And the
superb young musicians at this gig were supportive and challenging. He always
felt that good musicians had something to teach him, and these fellows all went
on to fine careers. During the 30-minute interview with Toronto disc jockey Hal
Hill, which is included in the new package, Art praises them, sincerely,
especially the pianist, Bernie Senensky. He enjoyed their youth; the prodigious
David Piltch was only 17. Piltch alternates with the impressive Gene Perla on
bass, and the drummer, Terry Clarke, seems to have played with every soloist on
earth. They solo beautifully. They back him perfectly.
The audio is quite good, thanks, once again, to Wayne Peet's
mastering, which is precise, skilled, and artful. The 32-page booklet includes,
along with Laurie Pepper's photos, gossip, opinions, and flights of musically
inspired fancy, her chart of problems she heard in the original recordings and
Wayne's notes describing all the additional problems Laurie didn't hear -- and
his work correcting them.
Laurie and Art Pepper And there's more. In honor of this,
the tenth release from her label Widow's Taste, Laurie (at left with Art)
offers us a backstage pass, "How to Turn a 40-Year-Old Cassette Tape into
a Valuable Collector's Item." She shows us why and how, "in this age
of off-brand-indie-DIY," she manages, with help, to keep finding and
releasing this great music. She says, "My jewel boxes hold real
jewels."
Fifty-one at the time of these recordings, Art Pepper had
been struggling, as an artist, to merge the solid swing and shuffle of the
blues he'd made his own at age 15 on Central Avenue with the tender lyricism of
his nature, with the fire and excitement of bebop, and with the adventurousness
of John Coltrane and Miles Davis. John Snyder, producer and fan, underwrote and
ran this East Coast tour -- which culminated in Pepper's Village Vanguard debut
-- to help him do it.
Art Pepper Snyder's encouragement can't be underrated.
Neither can Pepper's courage. When young, as a starring soloist, Art had toured
the country with Stan Kenton's big bands. But later, multiple incarcerations
for drug use and subsequent paroles limited his movements. When he was working,
he could only work at home in California. And part of Art, the part that was
not self-destructive, was profoundly competitive and ambitious. Here was his
first tour as a leader, and he knew this was his moment.
This latest album joins the catalog of previous albums from
the Unreleased Art Pepper series. All have received raves from well-known
critics. They are:
Volume I, Abashiri (2-CD set)
Volume II, Last Concert: Kennedy Center
Volume III, Croydon (2-CD set)
Volume IV, The Art History Project (3-CD set)
Volume V, Stuttgart (2-CD set)
Volume VI, Blues for the Fisherman: Live at Ronnie Scott's
(4-CD set)
Volume VII, Sankei Hall, Osaka (2-CD set)
Volume VIII, Live at the Winery
Volume IX, Art Pepper & Warne Marsh
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