Art Pepper and the Clarinet

Art Pepper recorded on clarinet sporadically during his career. He doubled on the instrument on his first recording session with Stan Kenton in 1943, in Charles Mingus' bebop big band in 1949 and in Kenton's Innovations Orchestra in 1950. As Laurie Pepper notes below, his decision to perform on the instrument in small groups in the years that followed often depended on whether the sound system allowed him to hear himself blowing.

Recording in small groups, Pepper can be heard playing clarinet on Rose Room from The Early Show in 1952, on Anthropology from Art Pepper Plus Eleven (1959), on tracks from Barney Kessel's Some Like It Hot (1959), Joanie Sommers' Positively the Most (1959), Helen Humes' Songs I Like to Sing and Helyne Stewart's Love Moods (1960).

Among my favorite recordings of Pepper on clarinet is Swing Lightly, Castle Rock and Charleston Alley from Henry Mancini's Combo! (1960). In the years that followed, he plays it on a few tracks recorded live at the Vanguard in 1977 and during his Galaxy studio sessions in 1979. There's also a live appearance in Japan that same year.

Pepper plays the clarinet on the new four-disc set, Blues for the Fisherman, recorded at Ronnie Scott's in London in 1980, newly remastered and released by Laurie Pepper's Widow's Taste label.

Here's Laurie on Art Pepper's clarinet playing:

"The 1980 trip was our first real European tour. We went everywhere—Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Switzerland and France. For this recording, we were in London for two weeks, which we all enjoyed.

"Art practiced clarinet a little every day, just around the house, and he doubled on it in Don Ellis' band and in a rehearsal band he sat in with pretty regularly. But he rarely brought it out for soloing in performance. Art just didn't have a lot of confidence in his chops, and he considered it the hardest wind instrument, not counting the oboe and bassoon, of course.

"Art did play it in Japan on tour in 1979 because the Japanese wanted him to, and the setup in Tokyo was perfect. Why? Because he could hear himself play. If I recall, under the applause for Anthropology on the new Blues for the Fisherman box, he said, 'I can't hear myself. It's just no good.  Never again."

"The problem always was with the mic-ing. He couldn't play the clarinet with conviction if he couldn't hear himself.

"I agree with you about the love shown to him. The warmth of the English fans was overwhelming and terrific.  Art just loved playing for them.

"My next release? It will probably be a concert from this same tour, up in Norway. And I even have video of the performance."

JazzWax tracks: Art Pepper: Blues for the Fisherman (Widow's Taste) is a four-CD box set that can be found here.

JazzWax clip: For those who haven't seen the tremendous 1982 documentary, Art Pepper: Notes from a Jazz Survivor, directed by Don McGlynn, here's Part 1:

Comments

[David]

Fans of Charlie Sheen should check out Art's rant in part 3, from 12:36-13:14. Amazing. I was also reminded of a photograph, in a recent edition of the Wall Street Journal, of rock vocalist Robert Plant allegedly proclaiming "I am a golden god!" Of course you're only a god until the coke wears off.

[Bill Kirchner]

An interesting piece, and trust me, I know about what Pepper spoke of re miking and hearing yourself on clarinet in a gig situation. It's the bane of all jazz clarinet players' existences. Kenny Davern, for one, refused to use mikes at all and stubbornly played acoustically--not always a realistic solution.

It's too bad that Pepper didn't play the clarinet more. He actually was quite good--that is, within certain technical limitations common to doublers whose primary instrument is saxophone. As were his contemporaries Gerry Mulligan, Gene Quill, and Al Cohn. (Phil Woods, though, was a clarinet major at Juilliard and has more chops on the instrument.)

[James Cimarusti]

Art Pepper can also be heard on clarinet on the alternate takes of "Walkin'" on the "Art Pepper + 11" CD issue. "Combo" is also one of my favorite albums. I wish Mancini had done more with this line up and have always wondered how Art got involved with this project since he is the only non-Mancini regular on the recording. Whatever the case, I'm glad he was involved because it gives us more of his wonderful clarinet playing. (Maybe John Williams and/or Dick or Ted Nash can supply an answer).

[Fredrik Stenmark]

Art Pepper swung more and had more emotional expression than 99 % of the other established players. This goes for his clarinet-playing too! "When You're Smiling" from the 1981 album "Roadgame" is a great example.