Great Set
L. Topper | 07/16/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This set has reasonably good sound. I doubt that they had the master tapes. Properbox (the record label) really fills up the discs so you get a really full disc and a good deal. This set features Art going back to the early 50's and ending with some of his most classic sides from the Contemporary label. It is possible to get most all of these sides on the original labels (which means that the producers have the original tapes) for a very reasonable price. Collectors may want to go for the original tapes.
One of the interesting things about Art Pepper is that he continued to grow as an artist. His later recordings in the 1970's have a very raw edge, but they really swing and ultimately to my ear, are better than his early recordings from the 50's. For many, it is a matter of taste, but it is nice to know that he not only continued to grow, but he was not just a carbon copy of some important later players. Sometimes, you hear some really great players from the 50's that totally changed their style after listening to John Coltrane. To me, Sonny Rollins and Harold Land (two of my favorite tenor players from the 50's) lost their sound after folding Coltrane into their own sound. You can hear Coltrane and his influence in Pepper,but he never lost his own sound. He really got different and (I think) even got better."