Art Pepper - The Art Of Pepper: The Complete Art Pepper Aladdin Recordings, Vol. 3 (1957) [1987]

The third of three volumes chronicling Pepper's complete Aladdin recordings, Blue Note's Art of Pepper, Vol. 3 finds the West Coast alto saxophonist in top form over the course of 12 stunning cuts. Recorded in 1957, the set takes in both Pepper originals ("Holiday Flight," "Surf Ride") and choice standards ("Long Ago and Faraway," "Without a Song"). There's also a fine cover of the rare Bud Powell cut "Webb City." Topped off with excellent work by pianist Carl Perkins, bassist Ben Tucker, and drummer Chuck Flores, this collection is a must-have for all Pepper fans.
This is small group jazz at its most exciting and quite simply one of the greatest jazz albums of all time, so what is it doing out of print? No one could match Art Pepper in melodic invention or swing, and he had the best tone of any alto player ever. Pepper's style was so distinct and so exciting, he remains readily identifiable within about three notes. And while Pepper made masses of great recordings, he is really on fire for this one, on which he was joined by another great – and fellow heroin addict – pianist Carl Perkins, whose addiction turned deadly and cut short his career. Perkins nevertheless left behind a monumental body of work in his recordings with the Curtis Counce Group and with this album. The combination of Pepper and Perkins, who had a regular working band for a few months, was explosive, and these recording suggest that this was truly the lost great band of the 1950s. Its intense swing and immense improvisatory invention is almost too much to be contained in a single album.


Tracks:

01 - Holiday Flight
02 - Too Close For Comfort
03 - Long Ago And Far Away
04 - Begin The Beguine
05 - I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
06 - Webb City
07 - Summertime
08 - Fascinating Rhythm
09 - Body And Soul
10 - Without A Song
11 - The Breeze And I
12 - Surf Ride

Personnel:

Art Pepper - alto sax
Carl Perkins - piano
Ben Tucker - bass
Chuck Flores - drums