Unreleased Art Pepper Vol. VII presents Pepper's November 18, 1980 show in Sankei Hall, Osaka, Japan. This show was presented at the halfway point of Pepper's Japan tour, which took place between Pepper's appearances on trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's Mistrial (Liberty, 1980) and drummer Shelly Manne's Hollywood Jam (Atlas, 1981) and shortly after the release of his strings album Winter Moon (Galaxy, 1980). The concert was recorded using a cassette recorder and remastered by Wayne Peet, providing a sound that is surprisingly good for an audience recording. For purists, this is not soundboard quality, but it turns out that it is okay.
Pepper's set lists are typical of the period. "Cherokee" and "Over the Rainbow" are present as are Pepper originals "Landscape" and a very fast "Straight Life." Pepper's clarinet piece is "Avalon" (he often reprised his take on "Anthropology" from Art Pepper + Eleven (Contemporary, 1959). The real treat is perhaps the only live performance of "Winter Moon" from Pepper's with strings recording of the same title . Pepper is in comfortable company, making this concert a very good one indeed.
Pepper was touring with two of his favorite sidemen, pianist George Cables, who Pepper called "Mr. Beautiful" and drummer Carl Burnett, who Pepper greatly admired. Bassist Tony Dumas replaced Pepper's previous bassist Bob Magnusson, who had retired from touring to be with his family. Amply talented, Tony Dumas was not Bob Magnusson, a fact that glares when comparing the performance of "Make a List (Make a Wish)" here with Magnusson's on Art Pepper: Art Pepper: Unreleased Art, Vol. III—The Croydon Concert, May 14, 1981. But no matter, Dumas still adds plenty of swing to the festivities, making Pepper's working unit a fine one.
Cable's presence here steadies the more sanguine egos on this tour. The pianist was provided a solo spot where he played his ballad "Quiet Fire." Elsewhere, "Mr. Beautiful" provides only the most appropriate support to the soaring leader as he continued to work out all of his angels and demons, a performance practice he employed to the very end. Pepper's own personal goal was to become the greatest alto saxophone player in the world. Between 1975 and 1982, that is exactly what he was. Laurie Pepper, we the listeners owe you big.
- Art Pepper - alto saxophone, clarinet
- George Cables - piano
- Tony Dumas - bass
- Carl Burnett - drums
CD1
01. Landscape (Pepper) - 11:50
02. Talk, band intros - 2:11
03. Ophelia (Pepper) - 9:52
04. Cherokee (Noble) - 12:40
05. Talk, about Cherokee - 0:17
06. (Somewhere) Over the Rainbow (Arlen-Harburg) - 12:37
07. Talk, presenting George Cables - 0:11
08. Quiet Fire (piano solo) (Cables) - 6:29
09. Talk, introducing Straight Life - 0:43
10. Straight Life (Pepper) - 7:00
CD2
01. Y.I. Blues (Pepper) - 9:30
02. Talk, about Y.I. Blues - 0:55
03. Avalon (Jolsen-Rose-DeSylva) - 7:26
04. Talk, about Avalon - 0:32
05. Make a List (Pepper) - 19:01
06. Talk, about Make a List - 0:43
07. Winter Moon (Carmichael) - 11:12
08. Talk, about Winter Moon - 0:25
09. Donna Lee (Parker) - 10:18
