Art Pepper, Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section (1957)
I’d heard a bit of Art Pepper and a bit about Art Pepper and then I heard this. And this was just it. Replete with the story: Pepper was nervous – he found out about the session the day it took place. The Rhythm Section refers to the players, known as just the best, Miles Davis’ crew (Red Garland, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; Philly Joe Jones, drums). And the story is unreliable, apocryphal – had Pepper just scored a hit so he could do the session? Or was he drug-free and that’s why he was so nervous? Could he not play straight? There’s also added bits about him having not played for up to six months – or was it just two weeks? And the horn he was using was in need of repair, or had just been repaired – badly. So you take this story, and the versions of it, in with you as you arrive at this album. And that adds to it. You hear a tension, you feel the anxiety. I’ve lived with this album a long time; a very special album to me. A very special album for me. I’ve turned a few people onto it. And I’ve bought it as a gift for a few people, I’ve bought a few CD copies of it – and my vinyl copy sat in my collection sealed for years. Today, of all days, I took it out and gave it a spin. Why today? No reason. Just wanted to say hello to an old friend.

Sample Track: You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To 

The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown