Pepper Tour Revised

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

Some of you may have seen my Facebook posting a few days ago of the historic Pepper Adams performance from the Grammy Awards television broadcast on February 24, 1982. Although I've had a copy of it in my collection since around 1988, it's remained very rare, only traded by collectors. Unfortunately, until this week's YouTube posting, very few had seen it. Finally, I got it digitized and here's the link: https://youtu.be/4PWTkf6MsZ0

Also, I posted this flyer. What a night of music!:

Below is an updated itinerary of my Pepper Adams tour in October. As of now, I'm doing five university lectures, plus functioning as an emcee for a concert in Rochester of Pepper Adams tunes. I'm still trying to fit in something on the 22nd or 23rd, but I'm running out of options:

M, Oct. 19: 12:30-1:45: Wayne NJ: Lecture at William Paterson University.

M, Oct. 19: 7-8:30: Poughkeepsie NY: Lecture at Vassar College.

T, Oct. 20: Travel.

W, Oct. 21: 3-4:30: Rochester NY: Lecture ("Pepper Adams in Rochester, 1935-1947"), Rochester  Institute of Technology, Liberal Arts Hall A-201. Book signing to follow.

W, Oct. 21, 8:30-10: Rochester NY: Book talk/signing, then concert of Pepper's music by the Mike Melito Trio (Doug Stone ts; unknown b; Mike Melito dm) at the Bop Shop.

Th, Oct. 22: Travel.

F, Oct. 23: Off.

Sat, Oct. 24: Off.

Sun, Oct. 25: Travel.

M, Oct. 26: 5:30-7: Boone NC: Lecture at Appalachian State University.

T, Oct. 27: 2-3:15: Charlotte NC: Lecture at University of North Carolina.

As I mentioned last week, due to exigencies (that I can not explain at this time), I will need to take a break from this blog for the foreseeable future. The same goes for my Facebook account. I hope to update readers before too long, but no worries about my work on the Pepper biography. That will definitely continue unabated. Please continue to consult pepperadams.com for updates and all things Pepper Adams. Lastly, don't forget that October 8 is Pepper's birthday.

Upcoming Pepper Adams Lectures/Concerts

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

I've read that the Chet Baker biopic, Born to Be Blue, starring Ethan Hawke, has opened at the Toronto Film Festival. I've also heard that Don Cheadle's portrait of Miles Davis (Miles Ahead) is forthcoming at the New York Film Festival. Quite a bevy of trumpeter films. Who do you think should play Pepper Adams, if that film were ever made, and who do you think should make it, if anyone?

As for my exploits, I'll be doing a series of lectures about Pepper Adams starting the week of October 19. Here's my schedule. I hope to see you.

M, Oct. 19: 12:30-1:45: Wayne NJ: Lecture at William Paterson U.

M, Oct. 19: 7-8:30: Poughkeepsie NY: Lecture at Vassar College

T, Oct. 20: Travel.

W, Oct. 21: 3-4:30: Rochester NY: Lecture ("Pepper Adams in Rochester, 1935-1947"), Rochester 

                               Institute of Technology, Liberal Arts Hall A-201. Book signing to follow.

W, Oct. 21, 8:30-10: Rochester NY: Book talk/signing, then concert of Pepper's music by the Mike 

                                 Melito Trio (with Doug Stone) at the Bop Shop.

Th, Oct. 22: 12:10-1: Pittsford NY: Possible lecture at Nazareth College.

F, Oct. 23: 12:30-2: Cambridge MA: Possible lecture at Longy School of Music.

Sat, Oct. 24: Travel.

Sun, Oct. 25: Travel.

M, Oct. 26: 5:30-7: Boone NC: Lecture at Appalachian State U.

T, Oct. 27: ______: Charlotte NC: Possible lecture at University of North Carolina.

I'll update my itinerary next week. There's a possibility that next week's blog post might be the last one for a while. If that's the case, I'll elaborate.

New Pepper!

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

PEPPER ADAMS BIG BAND UPDATE:

I'm very happy to report that Armored Records will be releasing the Pepper Adams CD that some of you so kindly contributed to some two years ago. Again, thanks for your generosity and your continued patience while mastering was concluded and a label was finally procured. I haven't been given a release date, but I think it's likely it will be out by this Christmas. Once I receive the stack of CDs, I'll let everyone know so I can reconfirm shipping addresses before mailing them out to all those who contributed at that price level and above.

This will be added to the date's liner notes:

We gratefully acknowledge those who contributed to the Kickstarter campaign that helped make this recording possible. Special thanks go to Ben Sidran, Richard Davis, Ed Xiques, Ellen Rowe, Dan Morgenstern,  Kurt Eherenman, Nils Erik Hagstrom, Colin Mills, Gilberto Munoz, Andrew Layton, Pat Collins, Joe Lex, Peter Jason Riley, Andrew Homzy, Steven Cerra, Ken Kellett, Claire Daly, Flavius Cucu, Jon Gudmundson, Jonathan Nathan, Frank and Carol Bubel, Joie Gifford, Larry Miller and Ernie Jackson. Very special thanks go to Nat and Cindy Charatan, who functioned as Executive Producer.

The following tunes will be on the new recording:

University of Illinois (all Tony Faulkner charts)

Ephemera

Bossallegro

Claudette's Way

Doctor Deep

Jirge

Mary's Blues

Lovers of Their Time

Julian

Etude Diabolique

Also, in a few weeks we'll have another 16 videos of Pepper tunes uploaded to YouTube from four concerts that Tony Faulkner videotaped (at the Blue Wisp, in Montreal, at the Puffin Foundation in Teaneck NJ, and at Trumpets in Montclair NJ) as follows:

Puffin (all Faulkner tentet charts):

Ad Astra

Dobbin'

Valse Celtique

In Love with Night

Freddie Froo

Montreal (Faulkner tentet charts):

Conjuration

Dobbin'

Urban Dreams

Ad Astra

Freddie Froo

Philson

Diabolique II (chart by Bill Mahar)

Trumpets (Faulkner charts for big band):

Dobbin'

Philson

Freddie Froo

Park Frederick III

Blue Wisp (big band, charts by Larry Dickson)

Bossa Nouveau

Twelfth and Pingree 

Aside from these, Glenn Wilson's new CD release has two Pepper tunes.

Apart from all the good news, this past September 10 marked the 29th anniversary of Pepper's death. It's always a solemn day for me, commemorated by burning a candle in his honor.

                             (Chip McNeill)

                                                     (Glenn Wilson)

                                      (Glenn Wilson's new release)

View From the Bridge

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

A new video from Nice has just been posted on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XU-7kC--ws. It's Dick Hyman's New York Jazz Repertory Company in the summer of 1978. They're playing a tribute to Count Basie. This is the last video in which Pepper and Bob Wilber are seen playing together and both have solos. Wilber plays a great clarinet solo beginning at 3:02 and Pepper's only solo is at the 24:18 mark on "Broadway."

Also posted is this great Dick Hyman tribute to Duke Ellington, done the summer before, with Wilber and Pepper also in the band together: https://youtu.be/wwHwyAgSMiM  Be sure to check out Pepper's amazing solo on "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo," the first of the concert. After Pepper's first few notes, you'll notice Eddie Daniels and Bob Wilber's delight in Pepper's solo--how harmonically daring it is in the context of a 1920s Ellington piece. Another equally great moment is Wilber and then Pepper's back-to-back eight-bar statements in "Blue Goose." Tenor saxophonist and Detroit compatriot Billy Mitchell is so utterly impressed with Pepper's articulation of the passage that he gives Pepper a round of applause, much to Pepper's delight.

It's been quite a week for me listening to Pepper and performances of Pepper's music. Other than the above videos, just a few days ago I found the set of DVDs that Tony Faulkner (http://tonyfaulkner.net) filmed while we were touring throughout North America in the Fall of 2013. This is the first time I'm seeing these! I've only made my way thus far through the Altsys Orchestra's tentet performance from Montreal in November, 2013. (See http://mountainlake.org/blogs/gens-delights/the-segal-centre-proudly-presents-the-altsys-jazz-orchestra-/) I'm eager to get these posted on YouTube soon. This very fine, hard swinging ensemble, led by alto saxophonist Jennifer Bell and trumpeter Bill Mahar (https://www.mcgill.ca/music/about-us/bio/bill-mahar), did a wonderful concert of Tony Faulkner charts (except for Diabolique II, arranged by Mahar). A heartfelt thanks to Andrew Homzy for helping make this concert happen. Here are the tunes they performed:

1. Conjuration

2. Dobbin'

3. Urban Dreams

4. Ad Astra

5. Freddie Froo

6. Philson

7. Diabolique II

8. Unknown encore

                      (Jennifer Bell)

                            (Bill Mahar)

                            (Tony Faulkner)

Now Hear This

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

I heard back from Pug Horton. It turns out that she and Bob Wilber have a son that lives in Atlanta. They expect to visit him sometime in 2016. It looks like my interview with Wilber will be put off until that time. Apparently, he prefers to do it in person. Something to look forward to, for sure!

I just found Pepper Adams' very first 8-track jazz "olio" that he put together. (See https://instagram.com/p/6-7Bfzpnmp/?taken-by=pepperadamsblog.) Adams assembled about 40 of these collections to enjoy while motoring around to gigs, etc. Since this first one includes Dedication and Consummation from the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis date Consummation, I figure that Pepper started making these particular sets sometime in late 1971, when the LP was likely released. If these were the first things Pepper made on 8-track, then he would have purchased his Wollensak-3M 8-track (see https://instagram.com/p/rm4zHfpnj3/?taken-by=pepperadamsblog) recorder sometime that year--that is, if he didn't make a bunch of 8-track classical recordings beforehand. What's interesting about this first selection of tunes is the titles he chose. Here's the roster:

1. Duke Ellington: Fade Up

2. Tony Coe: Regrets

3. Pepper Adams: One Mint Julep

4. Thad Jones-Mel Lewis: Dedication

5. Yusef Lateef: Ma, He's Makin' Eyes at Me

6. Barrry Harris: Like This

7. Duke Pearson: Tones for Joan's Bones  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vICb0Lggdnc

8. Billy Mitchell: A Little Juicy

9. Bud Powell: Dusk in Sandi

10. Duke Ellington: All Day Long

11. Pepper Adams: Port of Rico

12. Blue Mitchell: Smooth as the Wind

13. Thad Jones-Pepper Adams: Bossa Nova Ova  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CPmhYbMdt5s

14. Thad Jones-Mel Lewis: Consummation

15. Joe Henderson: Without a Song

16. Pepper Adams: Azurete

17. Duke Ellington: Rock Skippin' at the Blue Note

18. Music, Inc (Charles Tolliver/Stanley Cowell): Ruthie's Heart

19. Pepper Adams: Moten Swing

What can we make of this? Of the 19 cuts, 1 (#18) was previously unknown to me, 3 are Ellington, 5 are Pepper's dates as a leader or co-leader, 7 are recordings he appears on (it would have been 9 had he not missed most of the Consummation recording), and 12 are led or co-led by Detroiters. I'm especially taken that Pepper would include the four unissued Motown cuts that he did in 1963. Those wonderful tracks, with arrangements by Thad Jones, remain unissued to this day. I've been trying to get Universal to release them.

Adams made his second 8-track jazz tape with these tunes (see https://instagram.com/p/6-pNA9JnhE/?taken-by=pepperadamsblog):

1. Hank Jones: Fugue Tune

2. Joe Henderson: Invitation

3. Charlie Parker: Repitition

4. Yusef Lateef: Quarantine

5. Duke Ellington: Just Scratching the Surface

6. Tommy Flanagan: Solacium  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iUeuB7K8PCc.

7. Billy Eckstine: Air Mail Special  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l5Lq4h9Hhaw

8. Tony Coe: Together

9. Dizzy Gillespie: Serenade to Sweden

10. Ben Webster: Did You Call Her Today

11. Mike Westbrook: Portrait

12. Rubberlegs Williams: What's the Matter Now

13. Duke Ellington: Mr. Gentle and Mr. Cool

14. John Coltrane: Time After Time

What can we make of these cuts, especially as compared to #1? More Ellington and Coe, and, to be sure, a bunch of Detroiters again, plus another surprise cut for me by Rubberlegs Williams. Thank goodness for YouTube, here's the tune: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CvGNw9xKp70. It's a Charlie Parker feature from 1945. Flanagan's Solacium (whatever does that mean?) is new to me too. It features early solos by the leader, Coltrane, Idrees Sulieman and Kenny Burrell. The Eckstine tune has Leo Parker on baritone (on the studio version), though I'm not sure if he's audible. This is one of the first great bop bands. This a smoking live version, possibly not what Pepper chose, but presumably with a fantastic Fats Navarro solo and Budd Johnson on tenor. What a great chart. Did Johnson write it?

Shall we check out one more? Here's Pepper's sixth 8-track olio:

1. Duke Ellington: Perdido

2. Freddie Hubbard: Latina

3. Rex Stewart: Georgia on My Mind

4. Bud Powell: Hallelujah

5. Duke Ellington: Primpin' for the Prom

6. Herbie Hancock: The Prisoner  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NiCsgkhTp7Y

7. Rex Stewart: Alphonse and Gaston  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PRWg53dOWpw

8. Duke Ellington: Tootin' Through the Roof

9. John Surman: Episode  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3sdfwks9Ad4

10. Thad Jones: Let's Play One

11. Elvin Jones: Tergiversation  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mtg_GPKZrJg

12. Pepper Adams : Carolyn  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eTVldpGemsg

13. Bud Powell: I Want to Be Happy

14. Duke Ellington: Boy Meets Horn

15. Louie Bellson: The Jeep is Jumpin'

16. Ben Webster: The Days of Wine and Roses

How about that exchange on #7 between Cootie Williams and Rex Stewart? #9 surprised me: Quite free, and with no Surman bari solo. 

What fun it's been getting into the heart and mind of Pepper Adams! I hope you've enjoyed the ride.