Art Pepper Discography - Besame Mucho

Art Pepper Discography - Besame Mucho

The Complete Galaxy Recordings set contains all the Art Pepper tracks from this disk.

Shortly after Art Pepper's death in 1982, JVC Records in Japan began issuing a series of titles of the great saxophonist's performances in Japan. This set, recorded in 1979, was compiled from two different July performances and features the classic Pepper quartet with pianist George Cables, drummer Billy Higgins, and the great Tony Dumas on bass. Pepper played only alto on the dates, and these five tunes offer a portrait of the musician at the very top of his form and very inspired. There are three Pepper originals: "Red Car," "Mambo de la Pinta," and "The Trip," all of which are over nine minutes, buffeted by the set's lone ballad, "The Shadow of Your Smile," and a smoking read of the title track. Only the ballad is on the short side, and the rest give Pepper the opportunity to really stretch himself and interact with Cables, whose fluid scalar approach to soloing, while invoking bop's precision balanced by an abundant lyrical swing, was a perfect vehicle for the saxophonist's intense melodic improvising. This is a welcome addition to the U.S. catalog for fans and a fantastic introduction to Pepper's many gifts for the uninitiated.

1 Red Car Pepper 9:14
2 The Shadow of Your Smile Mandel, Webster 6:29
3 The Trip Pepper 10:01
4 Mambo de la Pinta Pepper 11:57
5 Besame Mucho Skylar, Valazquez 9:11

2004 CD JVC 61158
2004 CD Victor Entertainment 61158