In the mid-1950s Art Pepper had already served two prison terms on narcotics charges and was struggling to re-ignite the promising solo career he’d started several years earlier after leaving Stan Kenton’s orchestra. 1956 was a spectacular year for Pepper, and the recordings he did for the Aladdin label, featuring West Coast greats such as pianists Russ Freeman and Carl Perkins and trumpeter Jack Sheldon, are still considered as some of the finest albums that he ever did. For more about Art Pepper’s colorful career and life, read his autobiography Straight Life.
Music Heard On This Episode
Miss D.D.
Mary Lou Williams — Black Christ of the Andes (Smithsonian Folkways, 1964)
