Art Pepper: Unreleased Art Pepper, Vol. VII and Neon Art

C. Michael Bailey

Senior Contributor since 1997

...wants to know if Gene Harris is playing "Summertime" in Heaven...

Recent articles (1,697 total)

Published: September 20, 2012

Pepper's structure for "Red Car" is nominally a 12-bar blues, something you could imagine Lee Morgan playing in the 1960s only with Pepper's tart, tight alto. Pepper has no problem getting funky and neither does mercurial pianist Milcho Levi, who turns in a solo powerful enough to shadow the leader. But Pepper recovers and issues what is certainly his take on the blues. Another original, "Blues for Blanche," takes up side two of the platter. It is a more traditional blues, something Pepper excelled in after his comeback. The altoist and pianist again take the music over the top, blurring the genre line. Yes it is jazz, but Pepper had designs on taking things beyond names, that is what these Neon Art LPs are capturing.

Tracks and Personnel

Unreleased Art Pepper Vol. VII: Sankei Hall, Osaka, Japan, November 18, 1980

Tracks: CD1: Landscape; Talk, band intros; Ophelia; Cherokee; Talk, about Cherokee; Somewhere Over The Rainbow; Talk, presenting George Cables; Quiet Fire (piano solo); Talk, introducing Straight Life; Straight Life. CD2: Y.I. Blues; Talk, about Y.I .Blues; Avalon; Talk, about Avalon; Make A List; Talk, about Make A List; Winter Moon; Talk about Winter Moon; Donna Lee.

Personnel: Art Pepper: alto saxophone, clarinet; George Cables: piano: Tony Dumas: bass: Carl Burnett: drums.

Neon Art: Volume One

Tracks: Side One: Red Car. Side 2: Blues for Blanche.

Personnel: Art Pepper: alto saxophone; Milcho Levi: piano; David Williams: bass; Carl Burnett: drums.

View All 1 2