Search - Art Pepper :: Laurie's Choice

A Steal

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 10/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection of "live" recordings made of Pepper in the late seventies by his wife Laurie (she followed around with a tape recorder) represents the rejuvenated former convict and recovering addict at an inspirational peak. The audio is far from state of the art, and the surface "hiss" is quite noticeable--until you concentrate on the music. It's always dangerous, and usually counterproductive, for a musician to attempt to "play his feelings." So many factors, ranging from intonation, to control of embrochure, to note choices, to the shaping of the solo, need to be attended to that an artist who is not careful can easily find his emotions betraying him.But on this album, Pepper has moments where he succeeds in erasing the line between art and life. After his solo on his own composition, "Patricia," he confesses that he almost cried during the solo, opening his heart twice to his audience as he thanks them for sharing his emotional journey. It's not only one of Art's best recorded efforts but one of the most extraordinary recorded moments by a jazz artist ever."

Art Pepper in twilight glory

J. Levinson | Media, PA USA | 01/29/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is Art Pepper at his best, playing his heart out through his horn. There is noise evident on the recording, but it's obliterated by the intensity of the music once Art starts to blow. The playing time is only about 37 minutes, but this release is value-priced to compensate. There are better quality recordings from this period of his life, like the Village Vanguard and Tokyo sets, but this is a worthwhile and affordable supplement to those testimonies."