Smack Up

Personnel: Art Pepper (alto saxophone); Jack Sheldon (trumpet); Pete Jolly (piano); Jimmy Bond (bass); Frank Butler (drums).
Recorded at Contemporary Records, Los Angeles, California on October 24 & 25, 1960. Includes liner notes by Leonard Feather. Originally released on Contemporary (7602).
Without the influence of Charlie Parker, Art Pepper's music would have sounded completely different. (Then again, this would be true of all post-war jazz musicians.) With 1960's SMACK UP, Pepper's Parker-inspired playing is filtered through layers of time and experience, and the elder saxophonist's presence is more felt than heard on this album.
On SMACK UP, Pepper has taken "the Parker sound" and molded it to fit varying styles of jazz. For example, the record's final two tracks (the latter is an alternate take of the former) cleverly combine bebop with boogie-woogie. Moreover, on "A Bit of Basie," Pepper and his band blend elements of swing with bebop, creating a musical stew that defies strict categorization; he continues in this same vein on Benny Carter's "How Can You Lose." The subtle and "cool" nature of the performances here allow this release to fit nicely alongside other West Coast recordings from this period