''Friday Night at the Village Vanguard'' is a 1977 jazz album by saxophonist

Art Pepper Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American alto saxophonist and very occasional tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. Active in West Coast jazz, Pepper came to prominence in Stan Kenton's big band. He was known ...

playing with George Cables, George Mraz and Elvin Jones. Art Pepper played at the Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City twice during 1977. The second occasion was recorded and was released as three albums: '' Thursday Night at the Village Vanguard'', ''Friday Night at the Village Vanguard'' and '' Saturday Night at the Village Vanguard''. Further tracks appeared on the album '' More for Les at the Village Vanguard'' and a complete record of Pepper's residency was subsequently released as ''The Complete Village Vanguard Sessions''. In the sleeve notes, Pepper says of his own tunes:

My tunes are very difficult to read and interpret. I write down all the parts, and ask my group to play it like it's written for a while and then just use it as a guide and play with their own feelings.

Of "But Beautiful" he says:

Billie Holiday sang this song so beautifully. I've always been influenced by the way a good singer can express something beyond the words of a song. I try to express the quality of the human voice when I'm playing a ballad.

Reception

AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow awarded the album 4.5 stars, calling it "very successful" and the rhythm section "highly sympathetic."

Track listing

#"Las Cuevas de Mario" (

) — 11:08 #" But Beautiful" (

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Life and care ...

; Johnny Burke) — 10:17 #"

Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...

" ( Edward Kennedy Ellington;

Juan Tizol Juan Tizol Martínez (22 January 1900 – 23 April 1984) was a Puerto Rican jazz trombonist and composer. He is best known as a member of Duke Ellington's big band, and as the writer of the jazz standards " Caravan", "Pyramid", and " Perdid ...

;

Irving Mills Irving Harold Mills (born Isadore Minsky; January 16, 1894 – April 21, 1985) was an American music publisher, musician, lyricist, and jazz artist promoter. He sometimes used the pseudonyms Goody Goodwin and Joe Primrose. Personal Mills was ...

) — 13:29 #"Labyrinth" (

) — 12:10 #"

A Night In Tunisia "A Night in Tunisia" is a musical composition written by Dizzy Gillespie around 1940–42, while Gillespie was playing with the Benny Carter band. It has become a jazz standard. It is also known as "Interlude", and with lyrics by Raymond Leveen w ...

" (

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

Frank Paparelli Frank Paparelli (* December 25, 1917 in Providence, Rhode Island; † May 24, 1973 in Los Angeles, California) was an American Jazz pianist, Composer and Author. He was a pianist in Dizzy Gillespie's band during the mid-1940s, and is notable as t ...

) — 5:45 Bonus track on CD reissue ::''(Recorded July 29, 1977.)''

Personnel

* Art Pepper —

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

, tenor saxophone on "Caravan" * George Cables — piano * George Mraz —

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Elvin Jones —

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

References

Sources

*Richard Cook & Brian Morton. ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD'' 4th edition. Penguin, 1998. {{Authority control Art Pepper live albums 1980 live albums Albums recorded at the Village Vanguard