Complete Straight Ahead Sessions (2-CD Set)

Tracklisting:

CD 1

01. Brown Gold (Pepper) 6:59
02. These Foolish Things (Strachey-Marvell) 4:30
03. Tickle Toe (Young) 5:31
04. Tenderly (Lawrence-Gross) 4:10
05. Strike Up the Band (Gershwin-Gershwin) 6:47
06. Night and Day (Porter) 7:19
07. Deep Purple (DeRose-Parish) 9:10

CD 2

01. Bluebird (Parker) 11:41
02. Pennies from Heaven (Burke-Johnson) 6:16
03. 'S Wonderful (Gershwin-Gershwin) 11:24
04. Holiday Flight (Pepper) 16:14



Personnel:

Art Pepper (alto sax), Sonny Clark (piano), Harry Babasin (bass & cello), and Bobby White (drums).

Recorded live at the Lighthouse Cafe in Hermosa Beach, California, on March 30 & 31, 1953



High Resolution · 24-Bit Edition

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Review:

"Admittedly, this Jazz Factory double disc leaves something to be desired in the sound reproduction and mastering departments. But it is of little consequence when one considers the historical value of the performances here that showcase Art Pepper early in his solo career, with Sonny Clark on piano. The sound quality -- which isn't terrible by a long shot and is not noisy, just less than sparkling -- becomes no deterrent at all when one hears the illustrious communication between Pepper and Clark -- making Clark seem like the bandleader, incidentally.

The rhythm section of drummer Bobby White, and bassist and cellist Harry Babasin are not terribly remarkable, except that they swing very hard on the blues. But Pepper, who defers to Clark in many places, is at his lyrical best as a soloist here, and Clark's gorgeous and funky chordal structures provide him with a lush and street-savvy base from which to fly into the his hardest-sounding blues and bop runs from the early days. This may be for Pepper and Clark collectors only, but it should appeal to anyone interested in the only true joining of hard bop and West Coast traditions."

Thom Jurek -All Music Guide