Art Pepper: Art Pepper Meets The Rhythm Section - 2x Metal Reel 1/4" 38cm/s (15ips) Tape, RTM SM900, Remastered (Pre-Order)

Art Pepper
alto saxophone

Red Garland
piano

Paul Chambers
bass

Philly Joe Jones
drums

The Miracle of a Sax Fixed with Tape: Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section

There are records born from long rehearsals and endless sessions, and then there are miracles. It is the morning of January 19, 1957. Art Pepper is awakened by his wife Diane with news that freezes him in his tracks: Lester Koenig of Contemporary Records has booked the studio for that afternoon. Art hasn't touched his saxophone in six months. He opens the case of his beloved Martin Committee III ("The Martin Alto") and finds it in disastrous condition. The neck cork is dry and crumbling. Desperate, Art takes some adhesive tape, wraps it tightly around the neck of the instrument to create a proper seal for his Meyer mouthpiece, mounts a new reed, and heads off to the studios on Melrose Place, terrified.

Waiting for him is Miles Davis's legendary rhythm section: Red Garland on piano, Paul Chambers on double bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. No rehearsal. No advance notice.

What happened in those few hours is jazz history. Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section is an absolute masterpiece of instinct, genius, and desperation, captured with terrifying fidelity by the microphones of Roy DuNann.

Today, we are proud to announce that this sonic miracle has come back to life in our studio. The remastering work from the tapes has been entrusted, as always, to the artistry and sensitivity of Pietro Benini, who treated this raw material with an almost sacred respect. We know well that for the audiophile world the 1992 edition represents an absolute benchmark; yet, listening to the finished master, we deeply believe that Pietro managed to add even more in terms of presence, transparency, and emotion. He preserved the gorgeous, distinct diaphonic aesthetic of the era while delivering an even more coherent, tactile, and vivid soundstage.

The tape is already available for pre-order on our website, and for those who prefer other formats, we can share that Pietro Benini's exceptional work will soon see the light of day on Vinyl and SACD as well.

Get ready to hear Art Pepper's breath, the vibrant touch of Red Garland's piano, the wood of Paul Chambers' double bass, and the sweeping dynamics of Philly Joe Jones' drums like you have never heard them before.