Four Classic Albums (Surf Ride / Art Pepper + Eleven (Modern Jazz Classics) / Gettin' Together! / Smack Up)

Listening to this record reminded me what a great player Art Pepper was. There is a consensus that his release from prison prompted a "second coming" in the 1970s where the influence of Coltrane served to add to the intensity of his work. What struck me about this disc is the fact that there were elements which pointed to the future direction of his work as early as the "Smack up" album on this collection.The main reason for buying this was the exceptional record " +Eleven" where Marty Paich's charts provide a state-of-the -art" orchestral framework for Pepper's solos. The repertoire looks back over the period of 15 year's worth of "modern jazz" and offers a nice perspective of the innovations in the music up to the point. When I first heard this record, the be-bop numbers grabbed my attention but I am now inclined to think that the more "modern" repertoire" is more effective. All told, this is a high point in jazz orchestration up to that point and contains the definitive big band version of "Round midnight."The earlier "Surf Ride" was probably impressive for it's time and consists of the new generation of West Coast musicians working through a set of contrafacts based on tunes such as "Indiana" , "Tea for two" and "After you've gone." It is very much if it's era and whilst the playing of Pepper and Jack Montrose is impressive, the heads are not particularly memorable and although technically impressive, Pepper was still finding his feet.The other two LPs are more typical. The set with the then Miles Davis's rhythm section has some great playing by Pepper yet the likes of Wynton Kelly and Jimmy Cobb strike me as sounding uninterested. Kelly is a pianist I love to listen to yet he is not really engaged by Pepper's leadership. The appearance with Conte Candoli on a few tracks is underwhelming too. It is an ok record and has some spirited playing from Pepper who is the best thing about the whole disc. Far better in "Smack up" which includes a more typical West Coast outfit that are more inclined to coalesce with the leader's perceptions. This is a breezy session which I think is terrific albeit there are moments that give you a clue as to how Pepper would evolve as a soloist. I think the whole set has some brilliant music on it. The disc with Marty Paich's band is essential and the second disc features two LPs which are good examples of his prowess as a soloist. "Surf Ride" seems to sit at odds with the rest of the 2CD set and is accomplished yet very much of it's time. I love his later work yet any suggestion that the music he produced prior to his incarceration is somehow inferior is demolished by this record.