Jazz for aficionados

Here is another great book on Art Pepper written by his wife Laurie after he died. Its titled "Why I Stuck With A Junkie Jazz Man"

https://www.amazon.com/ART-Why-Stuck-Junkie-Jazzman/dp/1494297574/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400004...

I have read it and its a great read if you like that sort of thing.

Amazon blurb:

Art Pepper told his sexy, sordid, and exciting true adventure stories to his lover, Laurie, who put them in a book. She quizzed him (and those who knew him) unrelentingly over seven years, editing and structuring a narrative to which she dedicated all her energy. Straight Life by Art and Laurie Pepper (Da Capo) was published in 1979. It was critical success and remains a classic of its kind, the subject of college literary and music studies. Laurie went on to marry Art and manage his resurgent career, touring the world with his band.

“Why I Stuck with a Junkie Jazzman” was the headline some editor gave a newspaper interview Laurie did while the band was in Australia in 1981, and she’s now stolen that “that perfect title” for her memoir. ART: Why I Stuck with a Junkie Jazzman (APMCorp), describes her marriage to the deeply troubled, drug-addicted, madly gifted artist. “That marriage was the making of me,” says Laurie. “Some people go to grad school or join the Marines. I married a genius who valued and inspired me and challenged me to use MY gifts. We had a difficult, powerful partnership. I had to tell that story.” She says she also needs to set the record straight and clarify her role: “People think I was some kind of little wifey-saint who rescued him. And Art encouraged them in that. But he knew how truly crazy I could be. We rescued each other.”

Even I know that about Art Pepper . With all that you can be assured the drugs were doing the playing .
He was just obsessed period .
Wasn’t there , don’t know him but my guess he was just a kid who thought you had to do drugs to be accepted in jazz circles .Which was the general
   view of the US population at that time

As someone who has NEVER done any drugs but  almost certainly seen more of what they can do, than anyone on here, I don’t judge Pepper.
When I learned that that a prominent older leader paid the band off in weed
I took the 6 -7 LP’s I had and threw them into the trash . Don’t miss them .

O-10, my sons and I refer to my wife (their mother) as “No.1 elf”. She loves Christmas. The house gets decorated with (tasteful) Christmas decorations in and out every year, and I must say that in spite of my mildly intolerant bemusement at all the commotion I have grown to appreciate her efforts immensely. A truly wonderful time of year that doesn’t necessarily have to be colored by others’ commercialism or others’ cynicism about it all. Keep gazing at that tree if that is what it takes to get in the spirit. I will say, however, that from my very limited vantage point you have a great deal to help you get in the spirit. Most importantly, you beat cancer! Doesn’t get much more important and positive than that. Not as important, but certainly important to you, your Jazz thread is thriving. I wish you much Christmas cheer.

The Stitt/Parker connection, or lack thereof, that you mention is one of my favorite stories in Jazz. I have commented on it a couple of times previously and the story goes that when Bird played a road gig in Stitt’s hometown, to their mutual amazement they found that their respective styles were remarkably similar. This, in spite of the fact that Stitt had never heard Bird play; not even on recordings. Fascinating. Much is correctly made of the issue of “influence” of players on one another as concerns the evolution of Jazz, but this goes to what I like to call the inevitability of evolution in Jazz. Many creative artists are always pushing the envelope and this evolution seems to take on a life of its own. Some artists are just like some listeners. Some resist the movement of the art toward something new and different and others embrace it and go with it. To a significant degree the music itself and where it is at any moment dictates where it goes next.

Schubert, fabulous “Cherokee”. One of my favorite Stitt records.
I completely understand your reaction to Shadow Wilson. Wonderful drummer. Here’s more Shadow, except on “Off Minor” and “Epistrophy” on which Art Blakey plays drums. Fascinating contrast between the two drumming styles. I know it is considered heresy to say anything remotely negative about Blakey, but this contrast is a great example of why, while I acknowledge his greatness and importance, he is not always my favorite drummer. Compared to Shadow, he sounds a little heavy handed. I prefer Shadow’s more lithe and lighter approach.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0q2VleZJVEk3Tmv67HXOebr_CzZwuARj

Btw, methinks you are way too modest in you assessment of your ability to assess what’s what in Jazz.  You are a very musically astute listener, IMO.

Frogman, as you pointed out, I have so much to be thankful for; the fact that I'm alive and survived a time when I was prepared to see the other side would seem to make me ecstatic, but it doesn't. I'm a victim of too much knowledge, but I thank you for your well wishes.

That "Monk" you submitted is among the best that I've heard, and I'm listening to it all. I have to be in a "Monk frame of mind" to really hear him, and today is that day; yes this is the best Monk I've heard, it must be a "Monk day".


"You are a very musically astute listener, IMO."



I consider that quite a compliment coming from a master musician, and I wish you and your family loads of "Holiday Cheer".