Park Frederick the Great

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

A week ago I had the good fortune to lecture about Pepper Adams while on vacation. I was invited to the University of Nevada/ Las Vegas by pianist Dave Loeb, who worked with Pepper in 1977 and got to know him at that time. Although Dave was out of town for my lecture, he asked me to speak to one of his jazz classes in his absence. I only had an hour, so I spoke about Pepper's place in jazz history, read a favorite Hank Jones excerpt from my book about Pepper's genius, but mostly let Pepper's playing speak for itself.

This June will mark the 30th anniversary of my first meeting with Pepper at his home in Brooklyn. Sometimes you just don't know where life will take you. I certainly never thought I'd be working on Pepper's life and work this long. What a wonderful journey it's been!

It occurred to me again after I gave the lecture just how lucky I am to have been given this extraordinary gift. As I've told interviewers, at the time I met Pepper in 1984 I sensed that he was a fine player but really had no idea of his place in the pantheon. I hadn't begun any discographical research on his career and I approached the project as an oral historian. 

Listening again with the UNLV students to three favorite solos--Have You Met Miss Jones (Eddie Condon's, New York, 1983), Three and One (La Voute, Montreal, 1982), and Day Dream (Warwick studio date, New York, 1961)--I was reminded vividly of how spectacular and original a player he was and how enduring his music continues to be for me. The students dug it too. One bought my book and another came up to me, thanked me for lecturing, and said about Pepper, "I had no idea he was that great."

Tim Horner's Herd

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

Last November drummer Tim Horner organized a tentet to record newly written Tony Faulkner charts of Pepper Adams tunes. The group first did a warm-up gig in New York City that was emceed by jazz historian Dan Morgenstern, then recorded two sets live at the Puffin Foundation in Teaneck NJ. Tunes performed by the group include Libeccio, Conjuration, Excerent, and Trentino. Tim is currently reviewing the recordings to see what takes are useable and he's also planning to reconsititute the band for a follow-up live recording at Trumpets in Montclair NJ.

Las Vegas Lecture

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

I'll be giving a lecture on Pepper Adams at the University of Nevada/Las Vegas on Tuesday, 1 April 2014 from 3-4 pm in the Fine Arts Building where the jazz band rehearses. Come on down. I'll be autographing copies of my Pepper book and selling it at a very special price.

Pepper Adams Society?

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

Does anybody think that establishing a Pepper Adams Society is a good idea? I'm trying to democratize work on Pepper. There's only so much I can bring to the table. My forthcoming Pepper Adams anthology is one such attempt to present differing viewpoints.

Does anyone have experience with The Duke Ellington Society or other groups, even outside of jazz? I've looked at some of the Duke Ellington Society monthly mailings and I know that they've had monthly meetings, summarized in their mailings, in which members get together to listen to recordings of, say, a member's handful of favorites of a particular Ellington musician. It helps that a number of Ellington devotees live in New York but the same could go for Pepper. It used to be that once a year TDES has a conference, either in the US or Europe. Papers are presented and concerts are given. I think it also includes the attendent vendors--books, CDs, etc--that you'd expect.

With Skype and video teleconferencing, maybe travel isn't as imperative? Maybe a virtual meeting could take place quarterly where members could tune in on their computers? What would be the mission of the Pepper Adams Society? What would dues be used to accomplish? Establishing a non-profit takes an attorney and a considerable amount of paperwork. A Pepper Adams Society sounds good in theory, but do enough people care?

New at pepperadams.com

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

My webmaster and I have unveiled a new link at pepperadams.com. Called "Joy Road (Discography) Updates," this gives me the chance to frequently update my book Pepper Adams' Joy Road: An Annotated Discography. I'll be posting exciting Pepper discographical discoveries here and, of course, making corrections and additions. Posting pdf updates allows us to get them on the site quickly without reformatting.

The web is really the ideal medium for discography. There were three reasons, however, that I published the Pepper discography in book form rather than post it all at pepperadams.com or sell chapters as eBooks. For one thing, I had a book contract in place with Scarecrow. I wanted to fulfill the contract and especially the promise I made to so many people that the book--any book on Pepper!--would finally be published. 

Secondly, I felt that the oral history annotations derived from my unpublished musician interviews were historically important and made my book a reference work that could actually be read. I felt that it should get into the hands of fans and historians. That's why I pushed so hard on my first book tour and afterwards to sell out the hardcover edition to get an affordable version released in paperback. 

Lastly, there were commercial considerations. Aren't there always? My record company, Motema Music, felt that a book about Pepper Adams would help promote the North American CD and concert tour they were building with me. They wanted the book released in time for the tour. The strategy had worked well for them when they timed their Randy Weston release with the publication of his autobiography. I was happy to oblige! Motema's offer to reissue all four of my self-produced Pepper CDs and add to it the unreleased fifth vocals date lit a fire under me to finally finish the book, begun in 1984 when I first interviewed Pepper.

The discography updates listed within the new link will sometimes need to be referenced to the Pepper book to be fully understood. In time all these updates will be folded into the body of the book. That's when the entire discography gets posted at pepperadams.com. It will occur when the book officially goes out of print, probably around 2017.

Apart from Joy Road (Discography) Updates, we're soon unveiling a new Dedications page. It will include an overview, recorded samples and lead sheets. Many who've written Pepper dedications have not had their music heard or performed by others. We want to provide a forum for their gift to Pepper and encourage others to write dedications.

The Pepper Adams "Chronology," in some ways the core feature of pepperadams.com, is in line for a major overhaul too. All updates to the discography need to be entered, plus I've discovered hundreds of new items, many that fill in important gaps or change the historical record. The Chronology is something I frequently consult. Having it updated is vitally important for my Pepper Adams research and something I want available to others.

In addition to the new link and our plans for the Chronology and Dedications, we're trying to automate "Solos of the Month" so we don't keep slipping behind. I'm also trying to find the time to build out "Pepper Adams & John Coltrane." A fascinating email thread took place two years ago between me, Lewis Porter, Kevin Bales and others regarding my discovery of Pepper's November 1956 manuscript of Mary's Blues and how that relates to Coltrane's title of the same name. I hope to get to this soon. 

A discussion like that is perfect for this blog. Maybe I'll initiate new links derived from blog commentary, such as "Pepper Adams & Miles Davis," Pepper Adams & Wardell Gray," Pepper Adams & Louis Armstrong," "Pepper Adams & Coleman Hawkins," "Pepper Adams & Thad Jones," "Pepper Adams & Cannonball Adderley," "Pepper Adams & Benny Goodman, "Pepper Adams & Duke Ellington," "Pepper Adams & Billy Strayhorn, "Pepper Adams & Art Tatum," "Pepper Adams & Charlie Parker," Pepper Adams & Tommy Flanagan," "Pepper Adams & Elvin Jones," "Pepper Adams & Thelonious Monk," "Pepper Adams & Lee Morgan," "Pepper Adams & Rex Stewart?" Any suggestions or advice? What would you like to see?

Is there anything else you'd like included in the site? Obviously, my webmaster and I are constrained by our day jobs. We can proceed only so quickly. One thing I've wanted to include is a Pepper Adams genealogy and a collection of postcards that Pepper sent to friends. When Pepper was on tour he liked to stay in touch by sending postcards. I have two that he sent me and I've collected a bunch from interviewees. They're often very witty and give a glimpse into Pepper's life at the time. Any way we can include documentation from Pepper is a priority. To that aim we expect to post more radio interviews with him in the coming months.

March 30 London Concert of Pepper Adams' Music

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

On March 30, 2014 UK baritone saxophonist Colin Mills will be putting on a concert of big band music in London dedicated solely to the compositions of Pepper Adams. Joining him on the gig of music by UK arranger Tony Faulkner are top London players such as Mike Fletcher, George Crowley, Callum Au, Tom White, Louis Dowdeswell, Russell Bennett, Neil Bullock and Rob Barron.

Colin was selected by the BBC as the UK representative in the 2012 European Jazz Orchestra and has been playing in big bands for nearly 20 years. Colin is a specialized baritone player with a fluent range over four octaves, heavily influenced by the greats of the baritone world such as Mulligan, Adams, Gullen, Brignola, Bluiett and Carney. Colin now regularly plays with the Syd Lawrence Orchestra, the Jay Craig Big Band and smaller bands such as Bad Ass Brass and his own small band projects. 

The gig is at the Gunnersbury Pub in Chiswick, London. It starts at 1230 and it’s £10 at the door.

Saxes: Michael Fletcher, Gemma Moore, Andy Isherwood, George Crowley, Colin Mills,
Trombones: Callum Au, Tom Dunnett, Tom White, Ross Brennan,
Trumpets: Louis Dowdeswell, Richard Freeman, Russell Bennett, Gavin Broom,
Guitar: Ian Lawes
Drums Neil Bullock
Bass: Tom Mark
Piano: Rob Barron

More Pepper with Bevan Manson

© Gary Carner. Copyright Protected. All rights reserved.

Some of you are familiar with Bevan Manson, the superb pianist, composer and arranger. Bevan did the octet charts for me, featuring Gary Smulyan, for the final concert of Pepper Adams Week in New York City (2012). Having Bevan sculpt charts for sax, rhythm section, and string quartet was an exciting way of moving Pepper's music into an entirely new realm. The second set of that great night at Birdland can be heard at pepperadams.com. Click "Audio for the 2012 Tour." With George Mraz and Kenny Washington can you get a much better rhythm section? Thanks again to Motema Music and Mary Ann Topper for producing this very special week.

My work with Bevan is now taking a new direction, though some of it has been a few years in the making. Bevan is soon applying for a composers grant to write a piece for flutist Lew Tabackin and chamber orchestra based on Pepper's themes. Bevan and I first discussed an orchestral piece in 2012. Our plan is to schedule several concerts way in advance to get the music performed and rehearsed, then record it for a Bevan Manson compilation CD not likely dedicated exclusively to Pepper's music.

Three other Bevan Manson projects are moving ahead too. One is a collaboration between Bevan and arranger/composer Tony Faulkner for a second flute feature for Lew Tabackin. This one is an orchestral medley of Pepper's seven ballads. Tony suggested the idea when we were traveling together last year on our Pepper Adams tour. 

You might not know it but the Metropole Orchestra, featuring Pepper Adams, recorded for NOS Radio in 1982. None of the material has been released and I'm not sure what's happened to the charts. At that December gig in Hilversum Pepper and the orchestra recorded a beautiful version of Pepper's ballad Urban Dreams along with Witchcraft, Linger Awhile, Gone with the Wind, and I'm All Smiles. Pepper gave me a copy of the date as a gift and was quite proud of it.

Besides the two orchestral works for Lew Tabackin, I've also suggested that Bevan score for orchestra and flute Lew Tabackin's exquisite arrangement of Pepper's samba Bossa Nouveau. You can hear Lew's brilliant performance at pepperadams.com. It was part of the second half of a double bill at Birdland, opposite Manson and the octet.

One last project that has begun is a classical guitar arrangement of Ephemera, Pepper's personal favorite composition. I studied guitar and Renaissance lute privately with John Varner for seven years in New Jersey and I'm very fond of the idiom. Since the 1980s when I last studied the instruments, the amount of classical guitarists all over the world has exploded, possibly in part due to the Suzuki Method adopting the instrument as part of their curriculum. 

With the huge number of players in mind, my plan is to do a CD's worth of arrangements of a wide variety of Pepper tunes. Young guitarist Henry Johnson, the son Minneapolis guitar pedagogue Alan Johnson, is trying his hand (pardon the pun) this summer at arranging the original version of Ephemera from Pepper's 1973 recording of the same name. Ultimately, Bevan Manson, who has already composed works for guitar, can assist in the project as needed.

Besides being a very gifted guitarist, Henry is also a tenor saxophonist and Pepper Adams fan. To my ears, the head of Ephemera could be beautifully arranged incorporating George Mraz's bounce time bass line underneath the melody, and by using Roland Hanna's incredible comping as fills and counterpoint. Pepper's opening cadenza could make for a spectacular guitar fanfare, don't you think? What's done in the middle section, though, is beyond me! I'm eager to hear what Henry devises.

Obviously, Bevan's octet charts for Gary Smulyan have been laying fallow for two years and need to be recorded. I've decided to delay until October my crowdfunding campaign to raise $2,500 for another four Manson charts to have enough material for yet another CD. These new charts are being written to feature Pat LaBarbera on both tenor and soprano sax. Any thoughts on what tunes Bevan should do? So far we have these for Smulyan: Jirge (as a rhumba), Julian (as a ballad), In Love with Night (as a ballad) and Lovers of Their Time (Latin). The plan is to record the four new charts in Toronto with a mostly Toronto based band including Andrew Homzy's two daughters on violin and hopefully Dave Brubeck's son Matt on cello.