By the second night of recording live at the Vanguard, and the second night in the life of this stunning Art Pepper quartet, the band had found its groove. The four players create effortlessly in a wide variety of tempos on this second volume, which features two Pepper originals (one in 5/4 time, the other a samba), the ballad "But Beautiful," the bonus track "A Night in Tunisia," and a racing "Caravan." The last piece has a too-rare solo by Pepper on tenor sax, and the presence of drummer Elvin Jones allows him to reflect on his friend and latter-day influence John Coltrane. Personnel: Art Pepper (alto and tenor saxophone), George Cables (piano), George Mraz (bass), Elvin Jones (drums)
