Considered by many to be the deeper, tougher East Coast counterpart to Gerry Mulligan’s lighter, contemporary West Coast sound with his blistering pace and raw timbre, Pepper Adams was one of the most important baritone saxophonists during the rise of bebop. An accomplished composer and equally as comfortable leading his own bands or as sideman, Adams partook in over 600 recording sessions, appearing on dozens of albums. However, it was his work as bandleader that received the highest renown, particularly during the early part of his career, as he helped shape the baritone into a leading instrument in bop music. This four disc collection, bringing together over five hours of music across four discs, celebrates the genius and unparalleled talent of Pepper Adams by collating his first eight albums as leader or co-leader. With all audio faithfully remastered, this set will be serve as the perfect starting point to this master musician, and a welcome reminder to those already well-versed.
– Disc 1 –
1 Dakar
2 Mary’s Blues
3 Route 4
4 Velvet Scene
5 Witches’ Pit
6 Catwalk
7 Unforgettable
8 Baubles, Bangles and Beads
9 Freddie Froo
10 My One and Only Love
11 Muezzin’
– Disc 2 –
1 Minor Mishap
2 Blackout Blues
3 High Step
4 Zec
5 Alone Together
6 50-21
7 Bloos, Blooze, Blues
8 Seein’ Red
9 Like… What Is This’
10 Skippy
– Disc 3 –
1 ‘Tis (Theme)
2 You’re My Thrill
3 The Long Two-Four
4 Hastings Street Bounce
5 Yourna
6 Minor Catastrophe
7 All Too Soon
8 Beaubien
9 Adams in the Apple
10 Riverside Drive
11 I Didn’t Know About You
12 Primrose Path
– Disc 4 –
1 Stardust
2 Philson
3 Trio
4 Libeccio
5 Bitty Ditty
6 Out of This World
7 Curro’s
8 It’s a Beautiful Evening
9 Mr. Lucky Theme
10 Bird House
11 Day Dream