Home » Jazz Articles » Radio & Podcasts » The Alto After Bird - Pepper, Woods, McLean, Adderley (...

The Alto After Bird - Pepper, Woods, McLean, Adderley (1957 - 1960)

By Russell Perry | Jazz at 100
September 17, 2019
Sign in to view read count

Click the play button to listen

When Charlie Parker died at 34 in 1955, it was as if an ancient tree fell in the forest with the resulting sunlight promoting the growth of numerous alto saxophone progeny. Art Pepper appeared in Stan Kenton's Orchestra in 1950 and by 1953 was recording as a leader while still collaborating with West Coast colleagues like Shorty Rogers and Chet Baker. In 1957, his LP Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section signaled the maturity of a singular improviser from the West Coast School. Phil Woods kept the bebop spirit alive, touring and recording with Dizzy Gillespie in 1956 before gaining great attention with his 1957 LPs, Warm Woods and Phil and Quill. Jackie McLean apprenticed with Miles Davis through the early 1950s, and Charles Mingus and Art Blakey in the mid-1950s. With recordings like the 1959 LP New Soil, McLean became known as the classic Blue Note Hard Bop alto player. Cannonball Adderley burst on the scene with Kenny Clarke in 1955 as was hailed as the new Bird. His 1958 LP Something Else and contributions to Miles Davis's 1959 Kind of Blue cemented his reputation forever. For the next eight years, before his early death, he defined soul jazz for the ages. In this hour, the alto after Bird: Art Pepper, Phil Woods, Jackie McLean and Cannonball Adderley.

Playlist

Host Intro 0:00
Art Pepper with the Rhythm Section. "Waltz Me Blues" from Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section (Contemporary) 4:48
Art Pepper with the Rhythm Section. "Jazz Me Blues" from Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section (Contemporary) 7:43
Host speaks 12:30
Phil Woods -Gene Quill Quintet. "A Night at St. Nick's" from Phil & Quill (Prestige) 14:23
Phil Woods Quartet. "Easy Living" from Warm Woods (Epic) 21:11
Host speaks 25:59
Jackie McLean Quintet. "Minor Apprehension" from New Soil (Blue Note) 29:18
Host speaks 36:45
Jackie McLean—Tina Brooks Sextet. "A Ballad for Doll" from Jackie's Bag (Blue Note) 37:55
Host speaks 41:11
Cannonball Adderley's Five Stars. "Autumn Leaves" from Something Else (Blue Note) 44:20
Host Outro 55:16

< Previous
Matthew Shipp trio at Ai Confini tra ...

Next >
First Spring

Comments

About Cannonball Adderley

Instrument: Saxophone

Tags

For the Love of Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help

To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.