| Review:For altoist
Art Pepper, the 1960s were largely a waste
with long periods spent in prison due to his narcotics addiction. He spent
most of 1964 between prison terms and even tried to make a musical
comeback. This CD from the Spanish Fresh Sound label features
Pepper with pianist
Frank Strazzeri, bassist
Hersh Hamel and drummer
Bill Goodwin playing a few originals on a
television show (Pepper
is interviewed briefly by
Ralph Gleason) and performing two lengthy
numbers at
The
Jazz Workshop in San Francisco. Many of
the altoist's longtime fans were disappointed by his playing during this
period for
Pepper had become very influenced by
John Coltrane and fearful that, if he did
not sound like 'Trane, he would be regarded as old fashioned. Actually,
Art Pepper, who plays with more intensity
here than he often did in the 1950s, sounds pretty good during these sets,
although the recording quality is not always the greatest, and his fans
(along with jazz historians) will find these rare performances quite
interesting. -- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
