Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:25
Size: 147.5 MB
Styles: Bop, West Coast jazz
Year: 1981/2017
Art: Front
[5:11] 1. Angel Wings
[5:11] 2. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
[6:41] 3. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[5:03] 4. Jack's Blues
[6:07] 5. Broadway
[7:40] 6. Historia De Un Amor
[6:11] 7. Minority
[5:39] 8. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To(Alt. Take)
[4:18] 9. Broadway (Alternate Take)
[5:47] 10. Minority (Alternate Take)
[6:32] 11. Historia De Un Amor (Jack Sheldon Vocal)
Another great band with Pepper, recorded in 1980, as part of a six volume individual album set released originally in Japan. It features Pepper-alto sax, Jack Sheldon-trumpet, The fine and deserving of more recognition Milcho Leviev-piano, Tony Dumas-bass, and Carl Burnett-drums. Straight off--to my ears--what a band. Sheldon has always been a favorite trumpet player of mine, and here he gets a chance to show just how good a player he is--lyrical and swinging or subtly beautiful on ballads. This set (for me) is actually somewhere between four and five "stars".
And with some good tunes like "Angel Wings", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", "Jack's Blues", "Minority", plus alternate takes of "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Broadway", and "Minority", and a Sheldon vocal version of "Historia De Un Amor" (which is also on the original album as a beautiful, sensitively played instrumental), this album is one of the best in the series. I would think this volume would be a welcome addition to any Pepper/Sheldon/West Coast jazz fan's music shelf. The music swings on the up tempo pieces and the ballads are simply well played and beautiful. Both Pepper and Sheldon step out front all over this set for some fine solos, and with Leviev and a fine rhythm section, this is hard to beat for some West Coast jazz.
The sound is very good-clear, clean, and open, with a nice "alive" feeling coming through the speakers. The vocal track by Sheldon is from a surviving cassette tape and the sound is of lesser quality, with some distortion apparent. ~Stuart Jefferson
And with some good tunes like "Angel Wings", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", "Jack's Blues", "Minority", plus alternate takes of "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Broadway", and "Minority", and a Sheldon vocal version of "Historia De Un Amor" (which is also on the original album as a beautiful, sensitively played instrumental), this album is one of the best in the series. I would think this volume would be a welcome addition to any Pepper/Sheldon/West Coast jazz fan's music shelf. The music swings on the up tempo pieces and the ballads are simply well played and beautiful. Both Pepper and Sheldon step out front all over this set for some fine solos, and with Leviev and a fine rhythm section, this is hard to beat for some West Coast jazz.
The sound is very good-clear, clean, and open, with a nice "alive" feeling coming through the speakers. The vocal track by Sheldon is from a surviving cassette tape and the sound is of lesser quality, with some distortion apparent. ~Stuart Jefferson
Art Pepper Presents West Coast Sessions! Vol.5 Jack Sheldon
Album: Art Pepper Presents "West Coast Sessions!" Volume 6: Shelly Manne
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:15
Size: 119.6 MB
Styles: Bop, West Coast jazz
Year: 1981/2017
Art: Front
[ 7:08] 1. Just Friends
[ 5:57] 2. These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)
[ 7:20] 3. Hollywood Jam Blues
[ 6:13] 4. Lover Come Back To Me
[ 8:33] 5. Limehouse Blues
[ 6:40] 6. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
[10:22] 7. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (Alt Take)
In 1979, Japanese label Atlas struck a deal with cool jazz icon Art Pepper to record a series of dates showcasing some of his fellow West Coast acolytes. Due in part to an existing contract with another label, the saxophonist opted to skirt legal troubles and record the sessions under the auspices that he was a featured guest, rather than the album headliner. Originally released in 1981 as Hollywood All-Star Sessions: Shelly Manne & His West Coast Friends, the 2017 Atlas reissue Art Pepper Presents West Coast Sessions, Vol. 6: Shelly Manne features Pepper alongside drummer Shelly Manne, trombonist Bill Watrous, tenor saxophonist Bob Cooper, pianist Pete Jolly, and bassist Monty Budwig. As with the other Atlas reissues, here we get period photos and new liner notes via the series producer, Pepper's then-wife and manager Laurie Pepper. Although known for his association with the cool jazz sound of '50s West Coast jazz, Pepper (who infamously spent time in prison throughout much of the '60s on drug charges) had matured into an aggressive, adventurous performer by the time these Atlas recordings were made. Thankfully, this dichotomy is part of what makes the Atlas dates so appealing. Essentially a loose blowing session, here we get the saxophonist digging into a batch of well-worn standards from a breezy, and (thanks to Watrous) counterpoint-heavy take on "Just Friends" to the swaggeringly earthy slow blues of "Hollywood Jam Blues" and an uncharacteristically fleet-footed reading of "Lover Come Back to Me." Also particularly engaging is the group's languid, half-lidded take on the ballad "These Foolish Things," which aches with a yearning, noir-ish romanticism. Drummer Manne ably grounds the session with his adept percussion accents and impeccable swing feel. It's also fascinating to listen to the contrast between Cooper's warmly burnished melodicism and Pepper's increasingly kinetic, yet still lyrical flow. Sadly, Pepper died several months after these sessions, making his prodigal return to his West Coast roots that much more poignant. ~Matt Collar
Art Pepper Presents West Coast Sessions! Vol. 6 Shelly Manne