Art Pepper on Widow's Taste

[Tom 1960]

If there is already a relevant thread please point me to this. I'm thinking of purchasing the Stuttgart concert. Sounds great from the samples I've heard online. What are your personal favorites from this label?  I would like to get some of these recordings at an affordable price if possible. Thanks. Your input is appreciated.

[soulpope]

1 hour ago, Tom 1960 said:

If there is already a relevant thread please point me to this. I'm thinking of purchasing the Stuttgart concert. Sounds great from the samples I've heard online. What are your personal favorites from this label?  I would like to get some of these recordings at an affordable price if possible. Thanks. Your input is appreciated.

Stuttgart

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/ArtPepper8

or

https://www.discogs.com/de/Art-Pepper-Unreleased-Art-Vol-V-Stuttgart-May-25-1981/release/5817996

Croydon

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/artpepper3

or

https://www.discogs.com/de/Art-Pepper-Unreleased-Art-Vol-3-The-Croydon-Concert/release/7055631

Live At Ronnie Scott`s (if funds are limited make this one your priority)

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/artpepper13

or

https://www.discogs.com/de/Art-Pepper-Blues-for-the-Fisherman-Unreleased-Art-Vol-VI/release/7055727

[Tom 1960]

Awesome! Thanks Soulpope. 

[jlhoots]

6 hours ago, soulpope said:

Stuttgart

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/ArtPepper8

or

https://www.discogs.com/de/Art-Pepper-Unreleased-Art-Vol-V-Stuttgart-May-25-1981/release/5817996

Croydon

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/artpepper3

or

https://www.discogs.com/de/Art-Pepper-Unreleased-Art-Vol-3-The-Croydon-Concert/release/7055631

Live At Ronnie Scott`s (if funds are limited make this one your priority)

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/artpepper13

or

https://www.discogs.com/de/Art-Pepper-Blues-for-the-Fisherman-Unreleased-Art-Vol-VI/release/7055727

All good.

[king ubu]

Just in case, over here, jazzmessengers seems to be the best source usually ... I have just completed the series (missing on a physicalc copy of the History set, which went OOP a while ago it seems) and am still waiting for delivery of the last one.

The Ronnie's set may indeed be the essential, but I have yet to spend more time with some of the sets.

[ghost of miles]

Up, as Tommy’s Jazz is offering the following titles from this series (I already have volumes 2 and 4 and would love to hear recs for any others from the list below):

Widows Taste - Unreleased Art Series 
1- Art Pepper - Unreleased Art. Vol. 1 (Vol 1 is a 2 CD set)Complete Abashiri Concert  1981 $15.00
3- Art Pepper - Unreleased Art. Vol. 3 live in Crotdon(Vol 3 is a 2 CD set)  Croydon, England $15.00
5 - Art Pepper: Unreleased Art Vol. V, Stuttgart May 25, 1981: 2 discs $15.00
6- Art Pepper - Unreleased Art Volume VI , Two complete Nights at Ronnie Scotts 1980 $24.00
7- Art Pepper - Unreleased Art Vol. VII: OSAKA, JAPAN 1980 2CD Set . $15.00
10 -Art Pepper - "Unreleased Art - Volume 10 Toronto 3CD Set. $24.00
11 - Art Pepper - "Unreleased Art - Volume 11 Atlanta Milcho Leviev, Bob Magnusson, Carl Burnett  Atlanta $15.00

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Unless she ran out and doesn't know it, Laurie Pepper is still selling these CDs on her Bandcamp website.

FWIW, the Croydon concert is excellent.

[Brad]

I received an email from Tommy saying she was going out of business. When I questioned him about it, he said 

“they will be gone from her stock in about a month.

They are going out of business. Her words to me unless she is lying.

‘I did reply Tom. Said I’m going out of business.’”

[mjzee]

I highly recommend volume 6, “Blues For The Fisherman.”

[ghost of miles]

On 7/27/2022 at 5:20 PM, mjzee said:

I highly recommend volume 6, “Blues For The Fisherman.”

Many thanks for this rec—it and the Croydon disc arrived from Tommy’s Jazz today. One disc into Blues For The Fisherman and enjoying it immensely. This really has become my favorite era of Pepper’s to listen to over the years.

Edited October 19, 2022 by ghost of miles

[Eric]

49 minutes ago, ghost of miles said:

Many thanks for this rec—it and the Corydon disc arrived from Tommy’s Jazz today. One disc into Blues For The Fisherman and enjoying it immensely. This really has become my favorite era of Pepper’s to listen to over the years.

Yes, that one is stellar, need to revisit soon!

[mjzee]

2 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Many thanks for this rec—it and the Corydon disc arrived from Tommy’s Jazz today. One disc into Blues For The Fisherman and enjoying it immensely. This really has become my favorite era of Pepper’s to listen to over the years.

Glad you like it.  All of Pepper's pianists brought their own thing to the group's sound; Leviev's perhaps a little less bluesy and direct, but more harmonically interesting.  I agree that Pepper's late period is my favorite.  Perhaps he never achieved that conceptual breakthrough he thought was within reach, but damn his performances are enjoyable.  I have 3 en route from Tommy: Volume 7 (Osaka), Volume 10 (Toronto), and Volume 11 (Atlanta).

[Gheorghe]

On 6.10.2022 at 6:55 AM, mjzee said:

Glad you like it.  All of Pepper's pianists brought their own thing to the group's sound; Leviev's perhaps a little less bluesy and direct, but more harmonically interesting.  I agree that Pepper's late period is my favorite.  Perhaps he never achieved that conceptual breakthrough he thought was within reach, but damn his performances are enjoyable.  I have 3 en route from Tommy: Volume 7 (Osaka), Volume 10 (Toronto), and Volume 11 (Atlanta).

Totally agreed. Leviev maybe is not the first rate swinger and I heard that Al Foster refused to work with him, saying that the way he plays is not his (Al´s ) music. 

I like his solos mostly on two tracks he did with Pepper: On the long "Make a Wish" or how it is called, and on "Your´s my Heart Only". Otherwise I love the things with George Cables. 
I must admit in the time I "learned" jazz, Art Pepper was not very much mentioned. I saw him only one time in the year before he died. I was not very happy when I read the book of "Stuck to a Junkey". Somehow it´s mostly about a musician who still has something to say, but away from stage is quite a dumb junkey and alcoolic. It seems that his brain was so blown away with coke that he couldnt even remember a set list or when together with let´s say Zoot, he didn´t understand when they play both, when he plays without Zoot and when Zoot plays without Art.......

Really sad. It seems that looking for drugs and booze really destroyed his intelectual capacity and sometimes his improvisations are quite repetive, maybe it even impaired his creativity . 

I can enjoy a lot of those widow taste albums but I must not look at photos with him. 

[ghost of miles]

On 7/27/2022 at 3:48 PM, bresna said:

 

FWIW, the Croydon concert is excellent.

Near the end of disc 1 and concur with this assessment… damn! Leviev is a different kind of foil for Pepper. Thanks again to all for the Croydon and Ronnie Scott’s recs.

[ghost of miles]

So Tommy's Jazz still has some of these available, and I'm definitely ordering the Stuttgart.  I already have the Ronnie Scott's and the Croydon... any further recs for others on the list above?  Particularly re volumes 7, 10 and 11?

[Gheorghe]

11 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

So Tommy's Jazz still has some of these available, and I'm definitely ordering the Stuttgart.  I already have the Ronnie Scott's and the Croydon... any further recs for others on the list above?  Particularly re volumes 7, 10 and 11?

I don´t know the lists and the numbers of the volumes, but in a form discussion many years ago I remembered that I had heard Art in 1981 at Wiesen and that he played "Your´s my Heart Only" .  @soulpope pulled my coat to those two albums "Croydon" and "Stuttgart" since they have that tune on it. 
Austrian Press and Radio/TV and audience didn´t know then, that this was in Pepper´s playlist of the 1981 European Tour and had thought that it was his reference especially for the Austrian audience, since the tune was composed by Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehar. So even in the german Jazz Magazine, the review of the festival stated that Pepper played that Lehar Tune "for Austria". 

[soulpope]

15 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

So Tommy's Jazz still has some of these available, and I'm definitely ordering the Stuttgart.  I already have the Ronnie Scott's and the Croydon... any further recs for others on the list above?  Particularly re volumes 7, 10 and 11?

Although not reaching the lofty heights of Ronnie Scott's/Croydon/Stuttgart I believe Vol. 7 aka Osaka 1980 is excellent ....

[GA Russell]

On 10/20/2022 at 2:46 PM, ghost of miles said:

So Tommy's Jazz still has some of these available, and I'm definitely ordering the Stuttgart.  I already have the Ronnie Scott's and the Croydon... any further recs for others on the list above?  Particularly re volumes 7, 10 and 11?

My favorite is the one with Roger Kellaway.