Between 1980 and 1982,
Art Pepper
played with Bulgarian pianist
Milcho Leviev
alongside bassist
Tony Dumas
and drummer
Carl Burnett
.
Leviev
was a music director and pianist with
Don Ellis
and spent seven years with
Billy Cobham
. This group backed
Pepper
on his very first European tour. They initially played a triumphant fortnight stand in London at Ronnie Scott's. (Those gigs were released in the box set
Blues for the Fisherman
, in 2010.)
An Afternoon in Norway: The Kongsberg Concert
picks up the afternoon after the Scott's residency ended at 1:30 a.m. -- the quartet performed just 123 hours later as the closing act at Norway's Konigsberg Jazz Festival.
Laurie Pepper
,
Art
's widow and curator, teamed with
Zev Feldman
, the Kongsberg Jazz Festival archives, and the
Elemental
label for this release.
toured almost constantly; by the 1980s he'd adopted an experimental dimension on-stage in his solos. This quartet brought a deep-blue, hard-swinging, intuitive approach to loosely frame that leadership.
The 98-minute set opens with "Y.I. Blues (aka Untitled #34)," a long, driving uptempo hard bop blues.
solos first, moving momentarily modal, before going head-to-head with
, whose dazzling solo is rooted in blues, stride, and bop. "The Trip" was written by the saxophonist in prison in 1961, reflecting his interest in the music of
John Coltrane
. It commences as a moody, minor-key ballad that eventually embraces Latin jazz rhythms alongside deep modal blues. "Make a List, Make a Wish" is deeply funky soul-jazz.
's popping chords guide the rhythm section in a hard groove.
embraces it in his upper-register soloing like the world is on fire. The set's longest track is the ballad "Patricia," composed for his daughter. Despite its restrained tempo and impressionistic early changes,
moves outside during his resonant solo, seeking the inexpressible language of his heart. The only cover is a burning version of
Juan Tizol
and
Duke Ellington
's "Caravan."
loved the tune for its punchy, swinging Latin grooves.
Burnett
is brilliant, double- and triple-timing the band without forsaking the core of the beat. The saxophonist and pianist play off one another, spiraling into taut, inventive conversation. "Blues for Blanche" was composed for his cat. It's a very funky midtempo blues with killer voicings by
, who delivers his most rhythmic playing all with harmonic invention. The vamp laid down by
Dumas
is a blues mantra. Closer "Straight Life" is an original bop tune
had been playing throughout his career. It's performed here as both his signature tune and as an early announcement for the forthcoming publication of his autobiography of the same title. It smokes across nine minutes with great solos from everybody.
An Afternoon in Norway
comes packaged with a booklet featuring essays from
Marc Myers
, and reflections from
Feldman
Laurie
, and
, with tributes by saxophonists
John Zorn
Rudresh Mahanthappa
. The package is handsome and offers stellar sound, making this an essential listen for
fans and collectors. ~ Thom Jurek