MUSIC FREE: My Excuse is...

...that this is one of my top ten favorites of Art's live performances (you can hear me shrieking at the end). The track has been released before, but I won't go into details for all kinds of reasons. It's free. I love you guys. Look for something brand new in December. Promise.

Just Enter zero in the price box.  Of course, you can always donate to the cause.



 Meanwhile...

(If you'll  look over to your right, you'll see a poll entitled: For 2013 release.  I had to close the poll after 14 votes since blogger doesn't seem to have a way for me to view results of ongoing voting!!!!)

    I'm installing another (3rd party) poll (below).  If you've voted before, no need to do it again. I've got your responses now.
    I'm thinking of releasing a DVD which will include some Art Pepper live performances.  The audio quality might not be as good as some of my better releases (Croydon, Stuttgart, Ronnie's) but I'll get Wayne Peet to do the best he can with it, and you'll get to see a great live performance of at least ten tunes.
     Also, it's going to be more expensive than the usual release.  I still haven't reckoned up the costs of manufacture and distribution.  So I don't know whether it'll be worth it to any of us to do it.  It's bound to cost AT LEAST half again what I've been charging.
     So What I'd like to know is how much do you want to SEE previously unreleased and mostly unseen Art Pepper LIVE.

Please vote while I do all my research.

L.

Just Wow! French version of Art's Las Cuevas de Mario

MUSIC FREE: For Your Ears (and Eyes if you're a musician) Alternate take from Artists House Session: Pepper, Cables, Haden, Higgins

Free Music Download
Hit "download" and enter a zero in the payment box
(Of course you can always support ongoing releases by donating something)     First Draft of Art Pepper's "My Friend John"   

John Snyder, Billy Higgins, Charlie Haden, Art Pepper, George Cables

With Rocco's help, I've been scanning all Art's sheet music. I thought some musician fans might find this interesting. The Freebie today is an unreleased track from the Artists House date at Kendun Recorders in L.A. in '79 with Art, George Cables, Charlie Haden, Billy Higgins. It was recorded by John Snyder, for whom this song was written in 1977. John sponsored Art's first ever East Coast tour which wound up at the Village Vanguard, and Art wrote the tune for this date. I'm including 4 pages of music: The original ms, which Art scrawled during his cocaine nights sitting on bathroom floors of our hotel rooms in NY and Boston (read the book!). And the revised alto part. Art said that this chart and some others he wrote during that time were just too hard to play, so he rewrote them.

                           

MUSIC FREE: PREVIOUSLY RELEASED BUT UNAVAILABLE (it's' free)

It's unavailable unless you're prepared to pay for and download the entire Galaxy Box Set on iTunes (see below). I think it's a good deal for $59.00, but you may not have $59.

To download just this track for free, just click "download" and enter 0 in the price box. (You can always donate if you wanna.)

This is a track from the album entitled Art Lives. It was released by Fantasy after Art's death and was one of three albums culled from three nights of spectacular music performed during August, 1981 by the Art Pepper Quartet (George Cables, David Williams, Carl Burnett) at a club called The Maiden Voyage in L.A.

I've been discussing with the folks at Concord the possibility of me (Widow's Taste) licensing from them the Art Pepper tracks recorded by Galaxy but not available at all as cds or quality downloads.

Fantasy/Galaxy was a modest company with a giant jazz catalog. Concord, who purchased that label, is a big company with a newer and more popular catalog of newer artists and a much smaller jazz catalog.   It's not profitable for Concord to make a lot of jazz titles available in any format. So there are a lot of Art Pepper titles and (other jazz artists' titles) which, in Concord's view, simply won't sell enough to satisfy their stockholders.

   Visit Concord

At any rate, if you have $59 to buy that Galaxy Art Pepper Box (as download only) from iTunes, by all means DO IT! You will get a magnificent collection: The urgent, creative, brilliant music Art Pepper made during his last years--16 discs worth. (I'm also negotiating with Concord to scan and offer as a PDF the terrific booklet originally enclosed in the box: with liner notes by Gary Giddins; elaborate and complete details of the sessions by producer Ed Michel; and lovely photos by yours truly.)

While we're waiting, here's one of my favorites, so I think it's a crime it's not available: "Thank You Blues" from the Art Lives session in 1981. It's free.

-Laurie

MUSIC: FREEBIE FOR ART PEPPER'S BIRTHDAY

Freebie for Art Pepper's Birthday. Download in ANY format. Happy Day! This record company hasn't paid me any royalties since Joe Fields sold it. I'll be giving this BEAUTIFUL music away from time to time. But you can pay a few pennies if you wanna. L.

MUSIC: Mambo Koyama

Scroll down past the chatter to play (and download) the music

Some of you have asked for more glimpses of my memoir-in-progress. So I've added another bit about the buildup to the Village Vanguard date.  Look at the top of the sidebar for the Memoir.

   The latest release from Widow's Taste is due soon!  August 28th, to be exact.  It's a two disc set.  More details about it soon.  Here are pictures of the cover, front and back:

I've been digging through my old tracks more energetically than usual recently to find tracks for Omnivore who'll be releasing THREE Art Pepper vinyl singles in the next few months under the heading "Neon Art." (I'll keep you informed of all releases).

  

While I searched through a wonderful series of live recordings from our last tour of Japan in November, 1981, I found quite a few frustratingly incomplete and thus unusable tracks: The tape ran out or started too late or got eaten in the middle.

This is a track that made me tear my hair, because it is so great but started too late to use.  It's missing the melody statement and the piano solo (and it's George Cables in top form, and I'm really sorry!).

The music begins right before the Art Pepper solo.  There's a terrific bass solo by David Williams.  The drummer is Art's beloved stalwart Carl Burnett.   Named after Kiyoshi Koyama, once the editor of the once wonderful Swing Journal, MAMBO KOYAMA was recorded in Okayama, Japan on November 14, 1981 (George Cables's birthday).

Here, in all its incomplete gorgeousness is:

 
To Download and keep it forever, Right-Click Right Here!


To DONATE: Click Here:

Music: Body and Soul: Just Because It's June, June, June!

Here's the latest taste from the widow's kitchen And with it a new policy, so you can download ALL the tracks I post from now on.

A bunch of tracks recorded at the soundboards of various venues in Japan in November of 1981 have been digitized by the indefatigable Rocco. Now that I can listen to them, I discover that they are seriously spectacular as is this track recorded at a town in Japan called Tottori. The band is Art, George Cables, David Williams, Carl Burnett.

I've put the track up here because it's incomplete (so I probably won't be releasing it; I know you guys and your tricks. Many of you know how to download it and keep it.) So now I'm making it easier for everyone to download. You can play it, just as is. And/Or you can click the link below the player (where it says "Right-Click Right Here")and download the track as an mp3 and put it in your iTunes or whatever. And it is free. And, you know, you could donate, too (below). Any amount.

Body and Soul, missing the intro and the first four bars.


To Download and keep it forever, Right-Click Right Here!
To DONATE: Click Here:

MUSIC: Y.I. BLUES

Time for another listen.  BELOW find an exceptionally relaxed and swinging version of Art's Y.I. Blues (also sometimes called Untitled #34).  It will be on my next release, "Unreleased Art Pepper Vol. VII, Osaka 1980."  Featuring George Cables, Tony Dumas, Carl Burnett. (pictured: George & Art in Japan).

I promise I will upload a free download soon, next month, in fact.

Meanwhile some &^%$#@ has released a bootleg version of my planned next release:  The Aforementioned Osaka '80 concert
PLEASE WAIT FOR MINE!
My double cd will be cheaper, my liner notes more extensive and revealing, and there will be at least a dozen great photos, maybe more.  And of course the audio quality will be incomparably superior, thanks to the incomparable Wayne Peet.

My Widow's Taste release will be in August.  I don't want to rush it because I want it to be as perfect as I can make it.  So listen to this lovely (not-yet-remastered) track and please please wait for the rest.  P.S.  This set will include a gorgeous solo by George Cables and the only recorded live performance of Art playing "Winter Moon."

MUSIC: Partial View of a Beautiful "Landscape" & an INVITE

More from that incredible Parnell's date in 1980.  Landscape, incomplete but just too wonderful to hide away.  Milcho Leviev, David Williams, Carl Burnett.

Look BELOW the invitation for the music

An invitation:  At 6 p.m. on April 11th (the 40th anniversary of the day Art and I began our work on Straight Life) I'll be at the Berklee School in Boston to have a public conversation with da DAH! MICHAEL CONNELLY author of the Harry Bosch series (I've voraciously read every one of them and hunger for more). Michael's a jazz fan with the exceptionally good taste to love Art Pepper, Frank Morgan and other great musicians. And he writes soulfully about them.  I'll read a little from my memoir-in-progress and Michael will read from whatever he wants, and we'll talk about writing and jazz.  There will be cocktails and a band performance. Dancing optional.  (I think I'm kidding.  Maybe not)  Call 617-747-2514.  (I think it's free.)

You are invited.  (the music player with your taste of April is below the lovely invitation)

MUSIC: Pretty and Funky (partial) Taste Because it's (almost) Spring

Some of you may remember the stellar "Red Car" I posted a while back.  It was unprofessionally recorded live at a club in Seattle called Parnell's in 1981.  Due to popular demand, that Red Car may be available at a dealership near you as a vinyl single soon.  This "Patricia" is from the same gig on the same night (Ohhhh, what a great night) and starts midway through Milcho's solo.  Not to worry though.  The opening is on another tape and the two pieces will be reunited on the flip side of said vinyl single.
Band is Art Pepper, Milcho Leviev, David Williams, Carl Burnett.

P.S. Sorry about the audio bleedthrough. That'll be fixed for the release.
P.P.S. Meanwhile, the June CD release looks as if it'll be a super concert with George Cables, David Williams, Carl Burnett. I think.

VIDEO: Art Pepper, Jimmy Witherspoon

Worth Sharing!  (click here)

The voting was persuasive. There will be brand new unreleased Art in June.

MUSIC: First Taste for 2012

As a New Year's gift, I'm offering a FREE download of my favorite version of Art's beautiful ballad, "Lost Life."

Click HERE and then 1. right click on "Lost Life"  and then 2. select "download link."  It's yours to keep.  It's been released on various foreign labels and on disc 3 of the 3 disc set, "The Art History Project."   It was recorded at Bach Dynamite & Dancing in 1977 and features Art Pepper, Smith Dobson (p), Jim Nichols (b), and Brad Billhorn (ds) Enjoy it.  

PLUS Click HERE for a free listen.  "Angel Eyes," 1979, Art Pepper, the very great Russ Freeman, Bob Magnusson, Carl Burnett, recorded by the Japanese label, Atlas, at Sage & Sound Studios in Hollywood.*  Join my jumbo mailing list to stay informed of new music posts:   Subscribe (I don't share or sell my list)

(below, Art Pepper @Bach Dynamite & Dancing.)

* here's a question for the fans as well.  The "Angel Eyes" track has appeared on certain Japanese releases and also in the boxed set licensed to Fantasy Records/Concord.  I'm thinking of making all five discs available as per-disc downloads from CD Baby along with PDF of liner notes and photos.  I'd also make it possible to download each disc as flac files (from my own website).  These tracks feature Art in a variety of settings:  with Sonny Stitt, Lee Konitz, Jack Sheldon, Bob Cooper, Bill Watrous, Pete Jolly, Mike Lang, Milcho Leviev, Russ Freeman, Lou Levy, Monty Budwig, Bob Magnusson, John Heard, Tony Dumas, Chuck Domanico, Shelly Manne, Roy McCurdy, Carl Burnett, John Dentz.  They are studio recordings of excellent quality.  If I were to do this, I wouldn't be able to put out the next "Unreleased Art Pepper" until October or even November of 2012.

So, friends, would you be interested in purchasing some or all of this material at the reasonable rates I've tried to become famous for?  The poll is above right.