Search - Art Pepper :: Mosaic Select

The Return of Modern Art . . . and more

Steven Kosakowski | West Coast Jazz | 05/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 3-cd Art Pepper box (Mosaic Select #15) is about as hip as it gets, essential if you're into Pepper or mid-'50's West Coast jazz in general.



Mosaic is Michael Cuscuna's jazz collector label, well-known for limited edition collections re-mastered from original master tapes. If you're not familiar with the label, be assured that this is a professionally produced set of the highest quality. Be aware, too, that these sets do go out of print, so if this one looks like something you'll like, now's the time to pick it up.



The sessions here are all from 1956 and 1957. Cuscuna has issued most of this on cd before, on a series of three fine cd's released in 1989 on the Blue Note label - The Return of Art Pepper, Modern Art, and The Art of Pepper.



A decade and a half later, Cuscuna has returned to the master tapes again for new re-mastering to great effect, and has added a couple of other sessions from the same time period. There are nine tunes here featuring Art Pepper on dates with Joe Morello or Bill Perkins that did not appear on the old Blue Note cd's.



Now if only Mosaic would bring to cd the collection of Art Pepper's Pacific Jazz recordings from '56 and '57 that they released (on lp only) years ago . . ."

Jazz Art as it should be

G. Hancock | Baltimore, Maryland | 06/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most recordings that I've heard by Art Pepper are worth many listens but this set is very special, mainly for him and the settings he is in, and some of his great sidemen. The two versions of Summertime by him backed by two different groups are particularly beautiful, but that's only part of the great storytelling to be found here."