Art Pepper, alto sax The Way It Was! Contemporary Records/Mobile Fidelity Stereo-only SACD UDSACD 2034, 52:57 *****:
(Art Pepper, alto sax; Warne Marsh, tenor sax; Ronnie Ball, piano; Ben Tucker, bass; Gary Frommer, drums; Red Garland, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; Philly Joe Jones, drums; Dolo Coker, piano; Jimmy Bond, bass; Frank Butler, drums, Wynton Kelly, piano; Jimmy Cobb, drums)
A lavish reissue on SACD from Mo-Fi is always a special thing, and when the music is at such a high level as these early Art Pepper sides, jazz lovers cant lose. Contemporary Records may have been recording in a rather makeshift corner of their warehouse, but they were one of the first record labels to begin recording in two channels, and thus all of these nine tracks some from as early as 1956 two years before the stereodisc was introduced are in two-channel stereo. Pepper himself dictated the liner notes, and theyre printed in actually readable type.
Some odd spatial placements occur, as happened in the early days of stereo when engineers were feeling their way with it. On the first tracks Pepper is playing cozily over on the left channel together with Warne Marsh on tenor the drums and bass way over on the right-hand channel and nothing in between. Then on some of the solo Pepper tracks he is heard by himself coming from the phantom center channel (or not so phantom if you have ProLogic II on). That sounds better, but by track 8 theyre cozy over on the left speaker again. The tracks are taken from four different Pepper album for Contemporary. Many are over six minutes, with plenty of time for some great solo work. The sound of both saxes is clean and very present. The tunes are all classics. Listen especially for the individual approaches of the four different pianists involved in the various tracks. Red Garlands patented relaxed/soulful approach stands out on The Man I Love.
– John Henry
Art Pepper – The Way It Was (MFSL UDSACD 2034)
MFSL DSD Ultradisc UHR Hybrid CD/SACD UDSACD 2034
1. I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me
2. All The Things You Are
3. What’s New
4. Tickle Toe
5. The Man I Love
6. Autumn Leaves
7. The Way You Look Tonight
8. I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me (alternate take)
9. All The Things You Are (alternate take)
Art Pepper – alto sax
Warne Marsh – tenor sax
Ronnie Ball – piano
Ben Tucker – bass
Gary Frommer – drums
Red Garland – piano
Paul Chambers – bass
Philly Joe Jones – drums
Dolo Coker – piano
Jimmy Bond – bass
Frank Butler – drums
Wynton Kelly – piano
Jimmy Cobb – drums