Thad Jones-Pepper Adams Quintet, "Mean What You Say" (Milestone)

[Bol]

I am always blown away by this recording whenever I listen to it.  Excellent tunes and ensemble playing all around.  And Thad Jones never sounded better.  It is really too bad that the band did not record more.

[bertrand]

They tried to bring this band to Left Bank Jazz Society on 9/28/69 (with Richard Davis) but in the end Richard Williams filled in for Thad. A recording of part of this concert exists.

[mikeweil]

2 hours ago, Bol said:

It is really too bad that the band did not record more.

Well, they became the core of the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra. No time for a band within the band?

It's a great little album. I sold my slightly warped LP many years ago and still have the CD on my wantlist.

Edited February 12, 2022 by mikeweil

[Daniel A]

12 hours ago, mikeweil said:

It's a great little album. I sold my slightly warped LP many years ago and still have the CD on my wantlist.

This is really strange. Every copy I have ever seen of this album has been warped. I had to return a copy one time as it wouldn't play without skipping. My current copy plays tbrough, but it doesn't look nice. 

[Peter Friedman]

You might want to check out this one. Fine playing by Thad.

The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Quartet - A & M label

[jlhoots]

11 hours ago, Daniel A said:

This is really strange. Every copy I have ever seen of this album has been warped. I had to return a copy one time as it wouldn't play without skipping. My current copy plays tbrough, but it doesn't look nice. 

I have it on CD!!

[JSngry]

4 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

You might want to check out this one. Fine playing by Thad.

The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Quartet - A & M label

Exceptional performances, imo. Go for the CD, which has two extra cuts than did the LP.

[Brad]

1 hour ago, jlhoots said:

I have it on CD!!

Me too.  

[BFrank]

Great album, for SURE!

[Shrdlu]

Fine album. I have had it for years.

Pepper is one of the few baritone saxophone players whose playing I like. How could one not enjoy his work. Brilliant player, and highly intelligent man. I just listened again to his 1968 interview in Toronto by Ted O'Reilly. (There is a Pepper website with lots of audio interviews.) Pepper played a Selmer Super Action baritone, without the horrible low A junk.

Check out "The Cool Sound Of Pepper Adams", with Bernard McKinney, Hank Jones, George Duvivier and Elvin Jones. I have an LP of that with a fine alternate take.

[Gheorghe]

Milestone was a fantastic label. But it is possible I don´t have much of the earlier albums from the 60´s. 
Milestone was our entrance into a lot of musicians we saw live, I mean first we saw them and then we bought their current album or so (McCoy, Sonny Rollins etc ) . 
The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band I saw also live, but I don´t know with whom they were under recording contract then. They sold an LP at the Concert Hall, which was recorded in Polonia and had the same personnel like on the date I saw them (Steve Coleman was on alto)....
I never saw Pepper Adams live, maybe he did not so much touring to Europe then.....

[BFrank]

Some great Pepper in this set

[danasgoodstuff]

1 hour ago, BFrank said:

Some great Pepper in this set

There most certainly is, and on their Live @ the Half Note recordings too.  And on Lee Morgan's The Cooker.  And on lots of BNs with mid-sized bands where he only sometimes soloed.

[bertrand]

The Cooker is such a great record.

[Gheorghe]

On 21.2.2022 at 9:28 AM, bertrand said:

The Cooker is such a great record.

I mentioned it on the thread about the death of Lee Morgan 50 years ago.

As I said, if I want to hear a Lee Morgan album from the 50´s, "Cooker" is my choice. Others I purchase once and spinned them one, two times, but the Cooker is the one I have listened to more often.