Art Pepper – The Complete Village Vanguard Sessions Label: Contemporary Records – VICJ - 40101-109 Format: 9 x CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered Box Set, Compilation Country: Japan Released: 31 Jan 1996 Genre: Jazz condition : EX The box set contains all of the nine concerts that Art Pepper performed on July 28, 29 and 30, 1977. The group is made up of George Cables on piano, George Mraz on double bass, both aged 32, and Elvin Jones on drums, then 49 years old. Art Pepper is 51 years old and recording his first live album. The titles were released sparsely on Thursday Night At The Village Vanguard, Friday Night At The Village Vanguard, Saturday Night At The Village Vanguard, More For Les: At The Village Vanguard, Vol. 4 and Art Pepper Live At The Village Vanguard. Oddly, the titles present on Thursday… for example were not all recorded on Thursday and this is true for all the CDs. It was John Snyder, Art Pepper fan and director at Horizon Records, A&M's jazz label, who organized this concert series. Art had been in New York at a young age with Stan Kenton's band, then older with Buddy Rich's band, but drugs, prison and illness had stuck her in California most of her life. John Snyder organized the entire tour, handled the publicity, booked the clubs and booked the sidemen in Toronto, New York, Boston, Chicago and Dayton, Ohio with a stop at the '77 Newport Festival. The originally planned pianist and bassist quickly revealed their limitations in playing Art Pepper's music and it was George Cables, with whom Art had already recorded twice, and George Mraz who were chosen. It was Lester Koenig who suggested Elvin Jones. My Friend John is a tribute to John Snyder and Blues For Heard is a tribute to John Heard.9CCD-4417-2 Vol 1 CD 1 01. Spoken Introduction 01:01 02. Blues For Heard 12:21 03. Spoken Introduction 00:40 04. Scrapple From The Apple 11:35 05. Spoken Introduction 00:15 06. But Beautiful 10:54 07. Spoken Introduction 00:23 08. My Friend John 09:39 09. Spoken Introduction 00:30 10. Cherokee 16:35 11. Blues For Heard 05:51 CD 2 01. Spoken Introduction 01:41 02. For Freddie 14:32 03. Spoken Introduction 00:48 04. Valse Triste 11:27 05. Spoken Introduction 00:22 06. Live At The Vanguard 18:55 07. Spoken Introduction 00:21 08. Caravan 17:00 09. Blues For Heard 02:30 Vol 2 CD 3 01. Spoken Introduction 00:26 02. Over The Rainbow 06:52 03. Spoken Introduction 00:29 04. The Trip 12:38 05. Blues For Les 11:57 06. A Night In Tunisia 09:03 CD 4 01. Spoken Introduction 01:26 02. No Limit 13:34 03. Spoken Introduction 00:13 04. Valse Triste 12:22 05. Spoken Introduction 00:47 06. My Friend John 11:43 07. Spoken Introduction 00:26 08. You Go To My Head 12:16 09. Cherokee 16:03 10. Blues For Heard 04:20 Vol 3 CD 5 01. Count-Off 00:04 et Blues For Heard 18:41 02. Anthropology 14:38 03. These Foolish Things 08:53 04. For Freddie 12:49 05. Blues For Heard 05:38 CD 6 01. Spoken Introduction 01:18 02. Las Cuevas De Mario 14:30 03. Spoken Introduction 00:13 04. Stella By Starlight 17:50 05. Spoken Introduction 00:15 06. Goodbye 14:40 07. Spoken Introduction 00:16 08. Vanguard Max 13:51 09. Blues For Heard 03:27 Vol 4 CD 7 01. Count-Off 00:02 et Vanguard Max 12:44 02. Spoken Introduction 00:39 03. Las Cuevas De Mario 11:20 04. Spoken Introduction 00:59 05. Goodbye 12:16 06. Spoken Introduction 00:27 07. For Freddie 10:42 08. Blues For Heard 06:50 CD 8 01. Announcement And False Start 00:55 02. My Friend John 12:35 03. Spoken Introduction 00:45 04. More For Les 16:14 05. Cherokee 21:05 06. Blues For Heard 06:57 Vol 5 CD 9 01. Count-Off 00:02 and For Freddie 09:21 02. More For Les 09:34 03. Caravan 13:56 04. Labyrinth 12:35 05. My Friend John 09:08