AVID Jazz presents four classic Pepper Adams albums, including original liner notes on a finely re-mastered and low priced double CD.
“Jazzmen Detroit”; “Critics’ Choice”; “Pepper Adams Quintet” and “10 to 4 At The 5 Spot”.
It’s official…..Detroit Swings! And here’s “Jazzmen Detroit” to prove it! Kenny Burrell on guitar, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Pepper Adams on baritone sax, Paul Chambers on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. All but Clarke are Detroit men and all have come together from their respective day jobs, like Pepper Adams from the Stan Kenton band, Tommy Flanagan from Miles, Kenny Clarke from Hampton Hawes. All to make music of a “gentle, swinging” nature. For his first recording under his own name “Critics’ Choice” is another Quintet recording with Lee Katzman on trumpet, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Mel Lewis on drums joining Pepper on baritone sax. Pepper and Mel Lewis had both recently left the Stan Kenton band and were both eager to stretch out and get away from the restrictions imposed by their former boss. Another Kenton man joining Pepper was trumpeter Lee Katzman also eager to leave Kenton and make his first jazz recordings and here Pepper certainly gives him plenty of room to express himself! For “Pepper Adams Quintet” Pepper and Lewis are this time joined by Stu Williamson on trumpet, Carl Perkins on piano and Leroy Vinnegar on bass for a recording date from 1957. In 1958 Pepper Adams bought another fine Quintet to the 5 Spot Café in New York for what was to be a two week residency and a possible recording date. This time the Quintet comprised of Donald Byrd on trumpet, Bobby Timmins on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. Of course the two week residency turned into a near two month marathon for the “hard swinging, spirited and close knit group” and the live recording became our final selection “10 to 4 At The 5 Spot”. One of the main advantages of a live recording can be heard on the tracks selected from a “full night’s work”…….”the natural tendency to stretch out freely and at greater length than in the studio”.
All four albums have been digitally re-mastered.
