Driving
forward on the journey from yesterday’s encounter with Joe Zawihul, I was
particularly taken with the sax duel between Joe Henderson and Pepper
Adams. And last night I started
looking for more from this hard blowing baritone. Originally named “Park” he had another nickname besides
Pepper which was “Knife” because of the slashing fashion of his attack. I couldn’t find any vintage footage of
him out there, cutting though a session as a young man, but I’m sure something
exists, probably with him accompanying someone else's band. This Youtube clip I found of him from
1978 in Stockholm has the man from Highland Park, Michigan poised and
determined, if a wee-bit weathered, there beside Clark Terry.
On Rdio there seem to be a few discs from early in his
career in the late fifties, and then a leap of ten years to a disc called
“Encounter.” But with an eye
towards cutting and duelling he is pared up with Zoot Sims on tenor and while
the latter is known as a fiery soloist he seems almost subdued on this 1968
disc. Rather it is Elvin Jones on
drums who drives things on aggressively.
Ron Carter on bass and Tommy Flannigan keys round out an all-star set. The tune "Elusive" is, ironically, rather catchy and approachable. And, Elvin Jones is one muscular drummer.
During the interim period between the late fifties and the late sixties, Adams played on countless other
dates some of which I know very well.
He’s taken me back to the Mingus album “Blues and Roots” from 1960. He starts out Mingus version of
“Moanin,” playing again right after Jackie McLean solos. It’s difficult enough to imagine
playing with this much confidence, armed with an alto but the baritone is so
damn big. Booker Ervin’s tenor
solo that follows seems light and airy in comparison. Plenty more to discover and rediscover with new ears, now
that I can recognize the Pepper Adams, who passed in Brooklyn in 1986 at the
age of fifty-five.
I came down to the cafeteria in the serviced apartment I’m
staying at to get some breakfast.
I came without my headphones.
Big mistake. Now I MUST
listen to CNN. I MUST have Wolf
Blitzer yell at me while I’m trying to eat. Really Wolf?
Charles Rangel is in the middle of a tough primary race? “YES. WE ARE NOW REPORTING THAT CHARLES RANGEL IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A TOUGH
PRIMARY RACE.” CNN must have
research that tells them Americans want to be yelled at. Unless we 大吵大闹[1] in your face, you‘ll go elsewhere. And do what I may, I cannot
ignore this yelling and my dumb, donkey neck is pulled up at the screen. Oh, look, there he is, Charles Rangel,
smiling, voting, trying to look like he is not in a tough primary race. I had wanted to write.
Having viewed the screen once I will now feel the bridle
pull again and again upwards, regardless of what my higher order consciousness
said was our intent and regardless of what is shown. Some Italian
soccer player has been bit in the shoulder. Now we have to zoom in and zoom out and zoom in on the teeth marks, and who is
this dandy British dimwit we’re always being confronted with? He’s yelling at me. What are you smiling for? He claps his hands, spins, smiles a
knowing smile that seems sanitized of thought and he yells and claps than he yells
at his guest with a great big smile. Richard
Quest, is that your name? Shut up.
Go away! Stop smiling. I hate the television. The donkey is going back up stairs to
Mingus.
Ha ha. “E’s
Flat, Ah’s Flat Too”. Blow Pepper,
blow.
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