Modern Art

Art Pepper | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 30, 2011)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: BLUE NOTE
• ASIN: B000005H5O
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #132,068 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #48 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Cool Jazz

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Art Pepper made a name for himself in the early 1950s as a West Coast alto saxophonist who could play the complex harmonies of bop, but was not a slavish imitator of Charlie Parker. Pepper's intelligently-structured soloing was the epitome of California cool. Modern Art, recorded after he had served time in jail on drug charges, is a reissue of 1956 and 1957 sessions recorded for Alladin with either Russ Freeman or Carl Perkins on piano, Ben Tucker on bass, and Chuck Flores on drums. "Blues In" opens the session with a fine example of Pepper's soloing style. The swing classic "Stompin' at the Savoy" is an unbridled joy. "Cool Bunny," the two takes of "Diane's Dilemma," and alternate takes of "Fascinating Rhythm" and "Begin the Beguine" are other highlights. --John Swenson

Product Description

Modern Art by Art Pepper

This product is manufactured on demand using CD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Consummate West Coast Cool Jazz, September 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Modern Art (Audio CD)

The cover can tell you a lot about this CD. I think the photograph exactly typifies a time, a life-style, a mood. This is the late-Fifties West Coast jazz world we're in. A good-looking young man dressed in a sharp suit, white shirt and understated tie, sits at a table with his faithful saxophone at his elbow, an abstract painting hanging on the wall behind him. His expression is a mixture of cool, detached concentration, with maybe just a hint of the assured, almost surly, "who-gives-a-s**t" rebel. I don't know who took this photograph or whether others from the same session were ever used, but it is an image that I think matches the music to perfection. It seems unfair to single out a track for special mention - the whole mood of the album just cruises along at a very high standard. It sounds like a bunch of musicians who are just enjoying themselves, confident they are excelling at their craft on the day. "Hey guys, we're good, and we don't care who knows it." The only minor negative I would offer is the recording sound. This isn't hi-fi demonstration material. If you're a real hi-fi enthusiast it may seem a bit shallow and with slightly unnatural tones to some of the instruments. However, it is clean and dynamic, and the tracks are played with such enthusiasm and ability that the quality of the music shines through. This is great listening and thoroughly recommended.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Art Pepper CD, July 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Modern Art (Audio CD)

Most Art Pepper discs from the 1950s are solid. However this counts as perhaps the best disc to have if you only want to try one. It contains over an hour of his best work with no weak tracks.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best jazz albums, March 21, 2005

By 

Rohan Tissa de Silva "wandering minstrel" (Milwaukee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Modern Art (Audio CD)

I own hundreds of jazz cd's, and sometimes someone wants to know if I have a favorite. I can't say I have one favorite, but this is up there in the top 5. I recommend this CD to any serious jazz fan who somehow has overlooked one of the most talented sax players ever, anyone interested in "cool" jazz, anyone trying out jazz for the first time, and any jazz musician looking to hear some inspiring solo work. It's a true album, where every track belongs, and it plays well, in order, from start to finish, over and over again.