Art Pepper
Volume IV: The Art History Project
Widow’s Taste Records
www.cdbaby.com/www.amazon.com
By George W. Harris

Put together by the famed altoist’s widow, Laurie Pepper, “The Art History Project” is a 3 cd set that can be considered either a welcome intro and overview or a collector’s dream of rarities. The previous three releases on this excellent label focused on concert recordings, while this one mixes live appearances with both classic and rare studio sessions. The discs are divided into thematic and chronological order.

The first disc emphasizes Pepper’s early career, including his work with Kenton’s orchestra up to and including his foundational work on the inappropriately named “West Coast Jazz” of the 1950s. On these swinging sessions, the mood is upbeat, and Pepper’s sweet tone floats like a feather on “Tickle Toe” and “Besame Mucho.” The LA-based support includes Leroy Vinnegar/b, Russ Freeman/p and Shelly Manne, among others. The real treat is hearing Pepper teaming up with the last original tenor player, Warne Marsh, on a pair of 56 sessions that are the epitome of creative teamwork.

Disc Two captures the Pepper’s early turbulence, with his sound hinting at a harder edge. He’s caught here on a heavy session with Buddy Rich’s band (“Chelsea Bridge”) as well as some unreleased and fairly loose work with Frank Strazzor/p, Hersh Hamel/b and Bill Goodwin/dr. The songs hear display Pepper’s assertiveness (or is it agitation? or withdrawls?) on his lengthy and searingly searching solos. After going in and out of jail and rehab, he found himself on a whole new plane, with an elastic yet electric feel to his sound, hinting at Coltrane, but remaining his own. A wild “Caravan” form Japan in 77, a killer “Mambo Koyama” from NYC in 82, and a haunting 80 session with Jack Sheldon, Russ Freeman, Bob Magnusson and Carl Burnett/d show that the spirit was willing, even when the flesh eventually got weak. The set accomplishes its task of serving as an audio adjunct to Pepper’s autobiography “Straight Life.” An excellent overview of a true jazz original