Two classic albums – Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section has a spare quartet backing by Miles Davis' rhythm section at the time – Paul Chambers, Red Garland, and Philly Joe Jones. An essential East meets West jazz recording, with Art at the top of his game, playing in a unique setting for the first and only time (it's said that Art didn't even know of the date until the morning of the session). Pepper is one of the few alto players to really establish his own voice on the horn, without aping Bird, and his emotive playing really shines here. A definitive version of "Straight Life" is on this album, along with "Waltz Me Blues", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", and "Star Eyes". The second album here, Mucho Calor, is an amazing little set – one that's got a sound we could hardly expect! The album's a unique Latin jazz session that brings together some of the best talents of the west coast scene of the late 50s – one that features arrangements from
Bill Holman, Benny Carter, and Art Pepper – making an unusual but remarkable appearance here in a Latin mode! The group's nicely stripped down with bongos by both Jack Costanzo and Mike Pacheco – plus drums by Chuck Flores, bass by Ben Tucker, and piano from Russ Freeman. But the real strength of the set is the horn players – including not just Pepper on alto, but also Conte Candoli on trumpet, and
Bill Perkins on tenor – all coming together in tightly crafted head arrangements that swing around the rhythm wonderfully – then breaking out in short but sharp solos that really knock the socks off the session! The whole thing's totally great – and proof that the LA scene could cook with the best of them, given the right sort of setting. Titles include "Mucho Calor", "Vaya Hombre Vaya", "Pernod", "I Love You", and "Mambo De La Pinta".