This post is by Dan
Recorded March 11, 1980
Park “Pepper” Adams had a long career as a bebop baritone sax player beginning in the mid-1950s until his death in 1986. He was Donald Byrd’s frequent partner on some of the classic Blue Note records. On March 11, 1980, he entered the Downtown Sound Studio in New York to record The Master, a quartet album with Tommy Flanagan, George Mraz, and Leroy Williams. Simply put, this is Pepper Adams’ Masterpiece. Given plenty of space to stretch out, Adams delivers deep, thoughtful, and swinging renditions of four original compositions and two standards.
Each tune on the album reveals the range of Adams’ mastery. The slower tempo tunes draw attention to the close interplay among the players, especially between Mraz and Flanagan. (Alert: there will be many more favorites over the course of this blog on which George Mraz plays bass). “Chelsea Bridge” is an exercise in paced phrasing and interplay among the quartet. Except for “My Shining Hour,” all other tracks are miniature masterpieces.
My favorite is “Lovers of their Time,” an original penned by Adams and named after the title of a short story. It’s hard to write slow jazz melodies that support soloists, but this is one of the best I know about. Adams and Flanagan each make their most poignant statements in their solo spots. Hard to imagine a baritone sax played so tenderly in the hands of a veteran bopper like Pepper Adams, but here’s the proof. The record ends with an energetic workout over a fast-paced “My Shining Hour,” the only tune that is mainly blowing over changes (with clever quotes inserted).
Park “Pepper” Adams had a long career as a bebop baritone sax player beginning in the mid-1950s until his death in 1986. He was Donald Byrd’s frequent partner on some of the classic Blue Note records. On March 11, 1980, he entered the Downtown Sound Studio in New York to record The Master, a quartet album with Tommy Flanagan, George Mraz, and Leroy Williams. Simply put, this is Pepper Adams’ Masterpiece. Given plenty of space to stretch out, Adams delivers deep, thoughtful, and swinging renditions of four original compositions and two standards.
Each tune on the album reveals the range of Adams’ mastery. The slower tempo tunes draw attention to the close interplay among the players, especially between Mraz and Flanagan. (Alert: there will be many more favorites over the course of this blog on which George Mraz plays bass). “Chelsea Bridge” is an exercise in paced phrasing and interplay among the quartet. Except for “My Shining Hour,” all other tracks are miniature masterpieces.
My favorite is “Lovers of their Time,” an original penned by Adams and named after the title of a short story. It’s hard to write slow jazz melodies that support soloists, but this is one of the best I know about. Adams and Flanagan each make their most poignant statements in their solo spots. Hard to imagine a baritone sax played so tenderly in the hands of a veteran bopper like Pepper Adams, but here’s the proof. The record ends with an energetic workout over a fast-paced “My Shining Hour,” the only tune that is mainly blowing over changes (with clever quotes inserted).
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