Straight Life - Art Pepper [113]
In recent years Pepper has been working around the Los Angeles area, San Francisco, and other western states with his own quartet. Next month he hopes to make a trans-atlantic hop to Milan, Italy, where he expects to record an album for World-Pacific Records followed by a -tour of the continent.
For the following Cross Section, Pepper offered his views on the following topics:
THE RHYTHM SECTION (PHILLY JOE JONES, PAUL CHAMBERS, RED GARLAND): "I was fortunate enough to make an album with these three. All I can say is that if I could play with them every night for a year, I feel I could really get with my horn. They're the greatest!"
ZOOT SIMS: "He's the most natural, swinging musician I've ever heard. I think I could achieve complete satisfaction playing with him in a small group. Add Miles for the third horn and going to work each night would be the ultimate."
GIL EVANS: "His writing for Miles on Miles Ahead to me was the most perfect thing I've ever heard done for a soloist with band. Gil's understanding of Miles was perfect. I'd love to have the opportunity of doing an album with Gil with the same writing approach."
CRITICS: "Although I've been very fortunate in receiving fair critical comment as a whole. I really can't say that I'd want to be a critic myself. Even with 23 years musical background, I just wouldn't feel qualified to judge another's performance."
FOOTBALL: "The greatest of all games. And the Los Angeles Rams are number one by me."
RHYTHM SECTION: "It's very difficult to find a section that plays for the soloist. Piano players seem to think it old-fashioned to play the basic chords, leaving the soloist free to improvise with altered notes, etc."
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: "She is such a gas. Wow!"
COMPOSERS: "Aside from Gil Evans, I most appreciate Al Cohn, Gerry Mulligan. Bill Holman, and Quincy Jones. So far as classical composers are concerned, there are many-but Stravinsky, Milhaud, and Ravel are my favorites. Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe (parts 1 and 3) is the most complete and perfect composition I've ever heard."
LITTLE ROCK: "I feel that the situation there is one of the worst tragedies of our time. We can never hope for goodwill from the outside world as long as this state of affairs persists. It is in complete defiance of the Constitution."
STAN KENTON: "I've never encountered a stronger personality. If Stan had chosen the field of evangelism I'm sure he'd have been as effective as Billy Graham."
MARRIED LIFE: "My first experience failed because of my immaturity. But my second venture has proved a lifesaver. Diane, my wife, is just the greatest. Living without love is like not living at all."
CARL PERKINS: "His loss hit me very deeply. We had worked together many times. Carl's talent was very great and as a person I thought of him as a rare friend. The last recordings I made under my own name were done with Carl. Unfortunately, they are owned by Aladdin (Intro) Records and have been released in stereo on Omegatape only. Carl's playing on these two albums was his greatest recorded work."
BOB WATERFIELD: "He was so poised. I've yet to see a football quarterback who did everything so perfectly. I'll never forget seeing Bob kick a 48-yard field goal with ten seconds left to play-to beat the Bears."
MASS COMMUNICATION MEDIA: "It's amazing the way they mold the minds of the people in any way they please. Coming home from England after World War II, when Russia was being praised as our ally, an officer seated by me on the boat said that within 10 years the Red Star would be the symbol of villainy instead of the Rising Sun and the Swastika. How true!"
MILES DAVIS: "His development has been phenomenal. I've listened to Miles Ahead by the hour and his warmth, choice of notes,