The New York City Jazz Record Blues for the Fisherman Art Pepper (Widow s Taste) by Jeff Stockton Was alto saxist Art Pepper brilliant on the bandstand every night? Probably not. But his unreleased tapes have proven to be extremely worthwhile. However, in Jazz, cowritten by Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux and published in 2009, not only does Pepper not warrant a spot on their list of 100 recommended recordings, he doesn t even earn an entry in the index. Did his unreliability prevent him from performing with players of equal brilliance? Did his recording sessions suffer from being done on the fly for quick, but desperately needed, payouts? Did the time away from the music world damage his place in the history of jazz? Spearheaded by Pepper s widow Laurie, Blues for the Fisherman is Volume 6 on her Widow s Taste label, devoted to releasing what she has titled Unreleased Art , a series that makes a strong case for correcting Giddins and DeVeaux historical oversight. Preternaturally talented and handsome in his youth, in many respects Art Pepper epitomizes the image of the tortured jazz artist. His demons eventually overcame his angels, sent him down the road of addiction, got him involved with the wrong crowd and shady characters and landed him in and out of prison and rehab. A deeply emotional player who married technical proficiency, interpretive ability and aching soulfulness, Pepper never turned his back on his gift. And if you were to say that every drug bust and each incarceration constituted neglect of his talent, Pepper s gift never gave up on him. Blues for the Fisherman reissues the contents of two albums previously released by Mole Jazz, a tiny British label (and record store) that wanted to have Pepper s quartet be their first release. This CD, however, expands the two initial offerings to four discs, including every recorded performance from the band s last two nights at Ronnie Scott s in London in June 1980, interspersed with Pepper s comments before and after some of the songs. The result is four complete sets of raw but clear concert sound, a few repeated versions of tunes played across sets and an intimate look inside Pepper s creative process. It s a complex portrait. Pepper the perfectionist is on display as he cuts off performances in order to restart them. In his comments to the audience his deep-seated insecurity comes through, as well as his humility, generosity of spirit, gratitude and sense of humor. The quartet plays hard and softly: the fastest of uptempo tunes; the slowest, most moving ballads; swinging standards and deep-in-the-pocket blues. At this stage in his career, everything Pepper played was an adventure, a distillation of his artistry up to that precise moment. At Ronnie Scott s, he was supported by contrabassist Tony Dumas, who achieves an almost fretless electric sound on his instrument; drummer Carl Burnett, said to be Pepper s favorite, who handles burners, ballads and blues with equal aplomb, and pianist Milcho Leviev, a Bulgarian emigrant whose playing evinces classical training, familiarity with Eastern European folk music and a burning desire to play American jazz. For Pepper, living every moment as if it were his last was a very real possibility. If every performance was an adventure in self-discovery and self-revelation, then every solo was a reason to lay it all on the line, a constant demand to turn that demand in on himself. On the last night he assays a smooth version of Duke Ellington s In a Mellow Tone , grooving on the excellence of a night that included a transcendent version of The Trip , a peppy I ll Remember April followed by an achingly beautiful Goodbye and culminating with the sublime 12 bars that gives this collection its title. --New York City Jazz Record Jeff Stocktonll About Jazz What jumps out of Art Pepper's Blues for the Fisherman is his alto saxophone' --Audiophile Audition Jeff Krowll About Jazz What jumps out of Art Pepper's Blues for the Fisherman is his alto saxophone's boldness and overt expressiveness. If prior exposure has only scratched the surface of Pepper's work perhaps with the ubiquitous Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section (Contemporary, 1957) this live recording fairly smashes expectations of a polite, cool performance. Recorded in two nights at Ronnie Scott's London jazz club in 1980, Pepper is simply on fire, this set burying any lingering misconceptions that Pepper was just a west coast cool blower. Blues for the Fisherman provides a rare opportunity to hear two complete uninterrupted club dates, including banter with the audience. Pepper is clearly enjoying himself, joking with the crowd, and his playing reflects that warm interaction. The synergy within the band is telepathic, obviously inspired by Pepper's buoyancy. "Blues for Blanche," named for Pepper's cat, proffers a very contemporary melody, the saxophonist improvising to the edge of chaos without crossing the line into deconstructed mess. Pepper exhibits Charlie Parker's speed, couple with the looseness and expressiveness of later, more adventurous players like John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter, while sounding like none of them. He never dives off into free territory, but there are passages where he could, on the verge of breaking out of blues patterns before reeling back in. On a record with a lot of great soloing, the best is found on Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-A- Ning." Rather than just riffing over the tune, Pepper captures the composition's essence by playing rubato, and slightly out of key, in seemingly random phrases much like Monk's own piano playing fairly exploding in some passages with clusters of hard-blown notes that verge on shouting. Pianist Milcho Leviev, follows form with hard playing that briefly becomes completely disassociated with the melody and beat. Like his leader, he pulls it all back together in a feat of musical daring. Recorded hundreds of times, making it difficult to find anything truly original in any one version, Pepper's interpretation of "Rhythm-A-Ning" is an exception, with some of the most priceless saxophone work ever laid down on this oft-played tune. The title track drips with blues so deep that the smell of cigarette smoke wafting over the room is almost palpable. Audience members can be heard to shout encouragement as Pepper simmers and burns into a full boil. The effort and sweat going into this performance is apparent as he pours all of his breath though the reed. It's one of those perfect musical statements that could never have been captured in any studio. The immediacy and emotion of the moment are so boldly displayed that it could only have been possible through the energy of a live crowd. Blues for the Fisherman presents two unedited evenings of performance and may be one of the most important archival jazz releases of the year. Pepper's widow, Laurie, is actively enhancing his legacy by releasing previously unheard live recordings. If there are more dates like these lurking in the vault, each one will be a cause for celebration among Art Pepper's fans. --All About Jazz Greg SimmonsPrime late period Art Pepper, now on CD Art Pepper Quartet - Blues for the Fisherman / Unreleased Art Pepper, Vol. VI / Live at Ronnie Scott s London - Widows Taste 11001 - 1980 - (4 CD box set) - CD 1: 79:55 / CD 2: 64:49 / CD 3: 70:38 / CD 4: 69:56 (Transferred from the original analog tapes for CD reissue) *****: (Art Pepper, alto sax and clarinet; Milcho Leviev, piano; Tony Dumas, bass; Carl Burnett, drums) I reviewed the Mole Jazz / Pure Pleasure 7 audiophile LP box set of Blues for the Fisherman in March, 2011 and gave it 5 stars for both its historical value and the superb sound quality as well as the passion that Art brought to his recordings at London s iconic Ronnie Scott s club with his touring group of this period. For those without the pocket book funds to afford the PurePleasure box set, Art s widow, Laurie, has done the kind service of issuing this material over 4 CDs at a much more reasonable price. I can honestly say that Wayne Peet has done a remarkable job remastering the twenty five tracks recorded over two nights (June 27-28, 1980) and the resulting product is well worth the purchase price without a dramatic loss of sound quality over the audiophile PurePleasure issue. Interestingly enough, we have found the fifteen tracks of oral introductions, and story telling by Art, in his unique stream of consciousness fashion, to be much clearer with better fidelity on the CD issue as compared to the audiophile LPs. It would be interesting to find out what enabled Peet to bring out this difference on CD using the same analog tapes that PurePleasure had.  Laurie includes personal photos and 24 pages of notes in the booklet provided with the CD set and she lovingly describes Art s state of mind during the recording of these tracks. It is a great memento and much more valuable and accurate than any reviewer could have provided as Laurie s care and love of Art enabled him to remain vibrant with his music till he passed on just two years later.  Fans of Blues for the Fisherman have been waiting three decades to have more than the two LPs that Mole Jazz released at the time. Now we have 17 additional previously unreleased tracks. With the seven records of the PurePleasure box or the 4 CDs now released, you can experience the entire recordings made over two nights by one of Art s best touring groups. The group had traveled over Europe and that experience had made their cohesiveness fully formed.  We are treated to extended compositions with Milcho and Art exploring improvised musical conversations. Leviev and Pepper had a tempestuous relationship, but clearly they were inspired by each other and each have many extended solos that enter both mainstream and avant classic territory. Some of the tracks are repeated the next night, but as with Art, each performance is different and has its own charms. There is a mixture of ballads and burning numbers, and what is most evident is the passion that Art pours out as he bares his soul, and his life experience both in his playing and his heartfelt comments. Pepper left it all on the bandstand and we are richer musically for his gifts that he shared. Having the opportunity to hear Art play clarinet with the same gut-wrenching intensity that he had on the alto sax just adds to the historical value of this material. Simply said, Blues for the Fisherman belongs in the collection of any true jazz fan... --Audiophile Audition Jeff Krow