Unreleased Art, Vol. 3: The Croydon Concert, May 14, 1981

Unreleased Art, Vol. 3: The Croydon Concert, May 14, 1981

This is the third official Widow's Taste release, direct from Laurie Pepper in Los Angeles. Remastered by Wayne Peet AND with a ten page booklet of info., gossip, and photos, all via the Widow: AT FAIRFIELD HALL, Croydon, England, in May of 1981, Art Pepper appeared with the quartet that had returned him to music. Together, they delivered to loyal and savvy British fans a dazzling performance of originals and bebop classics. VOLUME III: THE CROYDON CONCERT is is the first release by Laurie Pepper s Widow s Taste Records featuring the rhythm section that made up the Art Pepper Quartet from 1978 through most of 1981. They were indispensable to the alto saxophonist s triumphant return to the scene at the end of his life and functioned as both engine and anchor during much of that time. John S. Wilson praised them in the New York Times, saying they made Art s innate rhythmic drive even more buoyant and referring to Bob Magnusson as fabulously fast-fingered. Critic Gary Giddins, in The Village Voice, said Bob s sure time and rich tone in the bottom register complemented Pepper s frequently ethereal gambits and praised Carl Burnett s chatty responsiveness. Musician and critic Jon Hendricks called Milcho Leviev a most marvelous pianist, a real joy. He plays with beauty and passion. After his last long imprisonment in San Quentin during the 1960s, Art found reentry into music almost impossible. He d taken personally the surfacing of black rage into the supposedly sacred precincts of the jazz combo. After experiencing wounding slights and insults, Art, thin-skinned to begin with, became increasingly paranoid, hesitant to even try to work with some of the musicians he admired most. But this band of profoundly gifted jazzmen made him feel safe. These were not safe players, but instead challenged and provoked him to continue to develop his gifts and evolve as an artist. The Croydon recording was sent last year to Laurie Pepper, Art's widow, by a European fan who believed this particular music was too good to languish in the archives of collectors. Laurie agreed with him so thoroughly that she changed all her plans. She decided to make this concert the third in her label s critically acclaimed series of previously unreleased Art Pepper performances. Reviewers have responded enthusiastically to the two previous releases. Volume I from this series, another two-disc set, is The Abashiri Concert, recorded in Japan in 1981. Volume II is The Last Concert, recorded at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC in 1982, documenting Art s last performance just weeks before his death: Jazz in the era of the heroic statement. Excellent. Ben Ratliff, New York Times Pepper blowing blues and ballads with a shivering intensity, as if each song recounted his own dreams and disappointments. Fred Kaplan, New York Times All but unprecedented. Both soul-searing and sentimental. Will Friedwald, New York Sun. The aims of Widow s Taste are to introduce truly unreleased and unheard music by Art Pepper to people who love him and want to hear him and to introduce him to people who have had only a limited experience with jazz and have never even imagined his unique brand of soul, swing, and loveliness.
Country USA
Brand Cd Baby
Manufacturer CD Baby
Binding Audio CD
ReleaseDate 2008-01-01
UnitCount 1
UPCs 634479762468
EANs 0634479762468

Country	USA
Brand	Cd Baby
Manufacturer	CD Baby
Binding	Audio CD
ReleaseDate	2008-01-01
UnitCount	1
UPCs	634479762468
EANs	0634479762468

Unreleased Art, Vol. 3: The Croydon Concert, May 14, 1981

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