Art Pepper: Unreleased Art Pepper, Vol. 11: Atlanta

  I’m sorry I never had the opportunity to take in a performance by the great alto saxophonist Art Pepper. But Laurie Pepper, his widow, co-author, and sometimes recording engineer, has been keeping his music in circulation by issuing a series of carefully curated live performances on her Widow’s Taste label. The latest is Unreleased Art Pepper, Vol. 11: Atlanta, featuring Pepper’s quartet with Milcho Leviev on piano, Bob Magnusson on bass, and Carl Burnett on drums, and it’s almost like being in the room.. Recorded by Laurie Pepper with a Sony cassette recorder, the sound is surprisingly good, probably thanks to both optimum microphone placement and the patient ministrations of studio whiz Wayne Peet. In addition to the glorious sound of Art Pepper’s alto saxophone on a good night with an appreciative audience in attendance, this release includes a generous dose of his inimitable stage patter. He talks about playing standards before messing around with Avalon, about Straight Life, his autobiography that had just been released, and more. Pepper loved to play fast, as pieces like Blues For Blanche and Straight Life prove, and I love that, but his ballad playing is what really gets to me. The quartet’s lengthy excursion on Patricia, an older Pepper composition written for his daughter, is one of the set’s absolute highlights. It’s not always easy to play for more than 10 minutes at such a slow tempo, but the music never flags. The musical joys of the Widow’s Taste series are amplified by Laurie Pepper’s liner notes, full of reminiscences of Art, stories about the musicians, the songs, and the tours. Because this unit was Art’s first regular group, lasting from 1978 to 1981, Laurie has included profiles of the various ensembles that he led until his death in June 1982. Volume 11 is a first-rate release, adding another fascinating chapter to the singular story of Arthur Pepper. Definitely recommended. 

Widow’s Taste 11/2020; Art Pepper (as) Milcho Leviev (p) Bob Magnusson (b) Carl Burnett (d); Atlanta, GA, May 17, 1980; Disc 1 (71:01): Blues For Blanche/ Talk: Band intros/ The Trip/ Talk: about playing standards/ Avalon/ Talk: about “Patricia”/ Patricia/ Talk: about “Landscape”/ Landscape/ Talk: about new book/ Straight Life. Disc 2 (40:34): Untitled #34/ Talk: about How Milcho Escaped from Bulgaria/ A Song for Richard/ Talk: about Swing Journal/ Mambo Koyama. artpepper.bandcamp.com