Review:Altoist
Art Pepper was 26 when he led the quartet heard on this Xanadu LP at
the Surf Club in Hollywood. The earliest documentation of
Pepper as a bandleader is this album and its follow-up,
The Late Show. Even at this early stage
Pepper largely had his own sound (he never chose to copy
Charlie Parker) and he was a creative improviser. The sound quality of
these tapes is not state-of-the-art, but the performances by
Pepper (who also plays some effective clarinet on "Rose Room"),
pianist
Hampton Hawes, bassist
Joe Mondragon and
Larry Bunker on drums and vibes are consistently excellent. The
repertoire, standards and
Pepper "originals" based on fairly common chord changes, is typical of
the era but
Pepper's often-brilliant solos already put him near the top of his
field. -- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
The follow-up to
The Early Show, this Xanadu LP is quite valuable for it continues the
documentation of
Art Pepper's earliest recording as a bandleader. Saved on an amateur
tape recorder from the audience at Los Angeles' Surf Club, these
performances have erratic recording quality, but the music is quite
exciting.
Pepper, joined by pianist
Hampton Hawes, bassist
Joe Mondragon and
Larry Bunker on drums and vibes, performs bop standards and a variety
of his originals that were based on the chord changes of familiar tunes.
Even at this early stage,
Art Pepper's talents and individuality were obvious. -- Scott Yanow,
All Music Guide |
