Art Pepper Swings Through the Twenties
Ancient songs get modern arrangements but keep their 1920s flavor, especially when Pepper solos.
Art Pepper is the secret weapon here. Barney Kessel had the concept—take standards from Billy Wilder's 1959 film and arrange them as small-group jazz—but it's Pepper who makes these old tunes matter. He moves between clarinet and saxophone, and on tracks like "I Wanna Be Loved by You" and "Runnin' Wild," he finds space in songs written four decades earlier that most musicians would dismiss as novelties. The arrangements stay light and swinging, never overcooked, and Pepper's playing has real wit to it—he's not mocking the material, just refusing to be precious about it.
The rhythm section holds everything in place. Shelly Manne on drums, Jimmy Rowles on piano, and Monty Budwig on bass give the record a tight, conversational feel, while Joe Gordon on trumpet adds color without cluttering. Kessel's own guitar work is clean and functional; he's more interested in letting the ensemble breathe than showing off. The whole session plays like a jam that happened to use some forgotten songs as starting points.
This isn't Kessel's landmark record—it's a solid, focused session with a clear idea and good execution. AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow noted the particular interest in hearing Pepper and Gordon solve the puzzle of making 1920s material swing naturally in 1959. If you're after Kessel's essential work, start elsewhere, but this one rewards a listen if you care about how jazz musicians approach material that isn't automatically cool.
Who's playing
Monty Budwigbass
Jimmy Rowlespiano
Barney Kesselguitar
Art Pepperclarinet, saxophone
Joe Gordontrumpet
Shelly Mannedrums
Where next?
More by Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel, Volume 3: "To Swing or Not to Swing" 1955
Barney Kessel, Volume 1: Easy Like 1956
Feeling Free 1969
♫
Modern Jazz Performances From Bizet's Carmen 1959
The musicians on this record
Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section 1957
Art Pepper
plays clarinet here
plays clarinet here
The Drum Sessions 1975
Shelly Manne
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
♫
Kinda Groovy! 1962
Jimmy Rowles
plays piano here
plays piano here
