Album Review Art Pepper - Surf Ride (Remastered)

Art Pepper

Surf Ride (Remastered)

****and1/2 out of *****

As part of Craft Recordings Original Jazz Classics series, Art Pepper's 1959 album Surf Ride gets a remastered release. These twelve tracks, originally recorded for the Savoy label, display Pepper in some of his earliest sessions as a band leader and the results are electric. 

 

Taken from three recording sessions in Los Angeles over three years, March 4, 1952 (tracks 4–6), March 29, 1953 (tracks 1–3) and August 25, 1954 (tracks 7–12). Pepper's alto sax is the only constant throughout the album, as each session finds a different band joining in. 

The sequencing of the album is a bit odd with the middle recording date first, as Surf Ride opens with three tunes from the session on March 29th 1953. The band around Pepper consists of, Russ Freeman (piano), Bob Whitlock (bass) and Bobby White (drums). The quartet rip into it with smoking fast bop work on an opening take on Lester Young's "Tickle Toe", it is one of only two covers here with the other originals all from Pepper. The piano and alto sax play off of each other nicely on the really quick "Chili Pepper" while Whitlock's bass goes into hyper drive on the franticly fast "Susie The Poodle". The over the top tempo is a bit much to take in but these guys were really getting after it during this session.  

Next come the March 4th 1952 sessions and things are noticeably more relaxed. For these tunes Pepper works with a different quartet of Hampton Hawes (piano), Joe Mondragon (bass) and Larry Bunker (drums). From the beginning of "Brown Gold" things are slower with more space between instrumentation. "Holiday Flight" continues in this same vein, while the title track kicks up the tempo a bit led by Pepper's alto sax work. The true MVP of these three songs though is Hawes, whose piano work shines bright throughout. 

The final set of songs, from the August 25th 1954 session combines both the speed of '53 and the more restrained work of '52. Pepper expands to a quintet as Jack Montrose arrives on tenor sax, with Claude Williamson (piano), Monty Budwig (bass) and Bunker sticking around on drums. These sessions begin and end with the fastest bop the group play as "Straight Life" is crazy great, allowing the two sax players to vamp all over at warp speed while the bumping bass of "Art's Oregano" closes the album on an upbeat note. 

In-between the quintet stay energetic but inject some clear blues influences for "Cinnamon", follow the great bass work of Budwig on the lively "Thyme Time" and work with a super cool laid back groove on the dynamite "Nutmeg", which is a standout on a very strong album. The players cover of "The Way You Look Tonight" feels a touch too Hollywood and out of place on this collection, but the musicianship is still linked up and cooking.   

Surf Ride is a great slice of classic West Coast Jazz as Pepper was about to capture the city with his sound. Having an excellent remaster in your collection is a must for any fan of the genre. 

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