Art Pepper - Art Pepper Presents West Coast Sessions Volume 5: Jack Sheldon (2017)

Of the six volumes making up this set of Art Pepper recordings, this one with trumpeter/vocalist/all-around-character Jack Sheldon is my favorite. Sheldon and Pepper were fixtures on the West Coast jazz scene for many years and had previously recorded together on many occasions over 30 years, most notably on The Return of Art Pepper and Smack Up (Contemporary, 1960). They were comfortable with one another. Sheldon always understood Pepper, despite the destinations of their dramatically different career arcs.

What the producers at Atlas Records wanted was some bona fide 1950s' West Coast jazz. It is a bit disingenuous to call these recording bona fide as many were recorded 20 and 30 year later. That said, Pepper's collaboration with Jack Sheldon comes closest to achieving the unrealistic goal. These are bright and talkative performances, easily played and obviously enjoyed by the participants. The repertoire is right out of Pepper's '50s band book: "Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise" and "The Way You Look Tonight" being staples. Several of the songs were reprised from the pair's previous recording on The Return of Art Pepper ("Broadway," "Angel Wings," "Minority"), which also included Shelly Manne. Sheldon is in very fine form, even singing in the original on "Historia de us Amor." These performances are real treats.

TRACKLIST

01. Angel Wings
02. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
03. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
04. Jack's Blues
05. Broadway
06. Historia de un Amor
07. Minority
08. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (Alternate Take)
09. Broadway (Alternate Take)
10. Minority (Alternate Take)
11. Historia de un Amor (Jack Sheldon Vocal)