Описание
Pepper Adams handled the baritone saxophone with the driven facility of hard bop and fueled the big horn with a propulsive intensity that caused him to be nicknamed "the Knife" for his "slashing and chopping technique," which had a humbling effect upon musicians fortunate enough to gig with him. From 1954 until shortly before his passing in 1986, Pepper Adams existed as an indispensable ingredient in the North American jazz ensemble, releasing more than 20 albums as a leader, emanating a special warmth as a featured soloist, and serving as a strongly supportive sideman and an often overlooked accompanist, for he anchored many an ensemble behind vocalists such as Brook Benton, Aretha Franklin, Jon Lucien, Carmen McRae, Helen Merrill, Esther Phillips, Dakota Staton, Joe Williams, and Jimmy Witherspoon. Often mentioned in the same breath with Serge Chaloff, Gerry Mulligan, and Cecil Payne, his powerhouse approach was closer to that of Harry Carney and Leo Parker.
Born Park Adams III on October 8, 1930, in Highland Park, MI, he was five years old when his family moved to Rochester, NY, where he soon developed a passionate interest in jazz by listening to Fats Waller, Jimmie Lunceford, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway on the radio. At 12 he was blowing clarinet and tenor sax and was soon sitting in with local bands, including one led by veteran reedman Ben Smith. Pepper's primary inspiration was tenor archetype Coleman Hawkins, and Harry Carney inspired him to take up the baritone. Moving back to Detroit in 1946, he played in a group led by Lucky Thompson and worked in the house band at the African-American-owned Bluebird Inn with Barry Harris, Billy Mitchell, and Thad and Elvin Jones while holding down a job manufacturing automobiles. He blew tenor with Lionel Hampton for a while and served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953, including a spell in Korea. Resuming his routine at the Bluebird, he developed his stamina while working with Miles Davis, Sonny Stitt, and Wardell Gray, whose influence he always acknowledged.
Adams worked in a group led by guitarist Kenny Burrell, then recorded with alto saxophonist Lennie Niehaus. His most memorable session of 1955 was with bassist Paul Chambers and emerging tenor John Coltrane. Moving to New York in January 1956, he recorded with Kenny Clarke, Curtis Fuller, and Quincy Jones. Pepper toured with Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson and while on the West Coast he jammed with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars. During 1957 Adams made records with harmonica ace Toots Thielemans; pianists Hank Jones and Ahmad Kharab Salim; trumpeters Shorty Rogers and Lee Morgan; and saxophonists Dave Pell, John Coltrane, Frank Wess, Coleman Hawkins, Hank Mobley, and Shafi Hadi (later reissued with the complete Debut recordings of Charles Mingus).
In 1958 Adams worked with Benny Goodman, Johnny Griffin, Chet Baker, Manny Albam, Gene Ammons, and Donald Byrd, with whom he would co-lead a band and cut quite a number of albums over the years. In 1959 Pepper put out an LP with trombonist Jimmy Knepper and led a group that was recorded live at the Five Spot. He supported Art Pepper and Sonny Red on their album Two Altos and sat in on Philly Joe Jones' Showcase. Adams helped solidify the orchestra that appeared with Thelonious Monk at Town Hall and served as a sort of living furnace among trombonist Jimmy Knepper and saxophonists Jackie McLean, John Handy, and Booker Ervin during the session that resulted in Blues and Roots, the album that virtually defines the artistic legacy of Charles Mingus. He began the 1960s by recording with multi-instrumentalist Herbie Mann, pianist Herbie Hancock, vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, and trumpeters Howard McGhee and Freddie Hubbard. He also recorded with pianists Duke Pearson and Red Garland, helped saxophonist Pony Poindexter cut his first album, and appeared live with Mingus at New York's Town Hall and Birdl
