Fortuitiously, after I had prepared this post yesterday, Google Doodle celebrated today as the 201st birthday of the inventor of the saxophone, Adolphe Sax (1814-1894), who patented the instrument in 1846. Click the screenshot to go to the Doodle; there are five variants, including one in which he blows into the word “Google” itself.
And what better way to celebrate than to listen to a great saxophonist? We all know about Lester Young, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, and the host of other great jazz saxophonists, but today I want you to listen to a piece by Art Pepper.
Pepper (1925-1982) was a fantastic musician who had a rough life, involving drug addiction and three stints in jail, including four years in San Quentin. I posted one of his songs a while back, but the one below is, to me, not only his best, but one of the best jazz performances of all time.
The song is “But Beautiful,” written in 1947 as as a vocal piece by Jimmy van Heusen and Johnny Burke, and first featured in the movie “Road to Rio,” with Bing Crosby (who sang it) and Dorothy Lamour. But I much prefer Pepper’s 10-minute saxophone rendition, performed live on July 29, 1977, five years before he died, and appearing on his album “Friday Night at the Village Vanguard. ”
This song is a great classic, starting off as a mellow ballad and then changing, toward the end, into what sounds like a wail of pain. I can’t help but think that the wailing is Pepper’s own voice speaking through his instrument. When I start listening to it, no matter how many times I’ve heard it before, I listen, mesmerized, all the way to the end. Besides Pepper on the alto sax, it features George Cables on piano, George Mraz on bass, and the great Elvin Jones on drums.
I’m presenting three other versions of this song—one instrumental and two vocal—but if you listen to only one, it must be Pepper’s:
I haven’t heard the duet album by Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett—an unlikely pair—but it’s supposed to be excellent. And at least their version of “But Beautiful,” in the live recording below, is pretty good.
Here’s Old Blue Eyes singing the same song:
And another sax favorite of mine, Stan Getz, who performs the song on tenor sax with Kenny Barron on piano and Yasuhito Mori on bass. I suspect that Getz took some of his phrasing from Pepper (the Getz performance was in 1989), but who knows?
Dr. Coyne,
Thanks so much for posting Art Pepper’s recording of “But Beautiful.” Pepper is one of my favorite alto sax players. I have about 20 of his LPs, but not that one. Again,
Thanks, Gil Klapper
Absolutely sublime. I am twitterpeppered.
We have similar taste in music, Jerry. I lived several blocks from the Vanguard, and was there in 77, but missed Pepper. Great rendition!
Pepper’s autobiography, Straight Life, is great. He’s probably my favorite sax player of all time and his ‘meets the rhythm section’ is one of my top five jazz albums ever.
Lovely.
Those will all fix life. Frank wins, though Lady Gaga and Tony were pleasant.
I had the pleasure of having Art Pepper talk to and play for a group of us high school jazz band sax musicians in the early/mid 70s, and he’s been a favorite ever since.
Like Bird, he had a vulnerable voice in his tone, was inventive in his phrasing, and unfortunately fought drug abuse for many years.
Thanks for sharing this.
San Quentin is the oldest prison in California, and the only one in the state that does executions (as well as being atypically not in a ‘way off the beaten path’ location.)
My main impression of SQ comes from it being next to a lovely swimming beach (bay not ocean) which many of the inmates can evidently SEE, but can never visit, which would be quite a punishment for me, so I’m wondering now where Art Pepper’s cell was.
Very nice. I played alto sax when I was younger and was pretty good. Wish I had never stopped.
Both my children just started learning the alto sax this year. Of course, I had to give it a try. I can still make nice sounds on it, better than them. But they can already read music better than I can. I can’t remember it at all.
The Billie Holiday version, off of “lady in satin” brings tears to my eyes. Her voice was almost gone at that point and she still sings the hell out of it.
There are so many truly great jazz sax recordings, so list could do it justice and you couldn’t listen to them all in one full day anyway. For alto, though I do always like to point to Johnny Hodges’ Sunny Side of the Street from the 1963 “Great Paris Concert”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XApSs7vHo8A
A lot of people are probably not aware of the classical sax repertoire. For example:
Thanks, I love it when we get Art Pepper vids at WEIT. Pepper is, IMO, on that absolutely sublime level of jazz saxophonists with Sony Rollins, Coltrane, Bird, Paul Desmond, etc.
I’d like to nominate Shine A Light by Spiritualized for most beautiful use of saxamaphone ever.
Not a fan of it usually, just because it got co-opted by a load of bloody awful 80s soft-rock artists, but when used properly it’s gorgeous, especially when it has that uncomfortable, raspy, avant-gardey edge to it.
Lady Gaga before she adopted the persona.
The last one getz my vote.
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Wow George Cables.