#music, Music for a Saturday Morning… Art Pepper…

«Patricia,» was written by Art Pepper in 1978. Art Pepper, born in Los Angeles, California in 1925, started his career playing with Stan Kenton and Benny Carter. From there he went to become one of the great ones of what came to be called West Coast Jazz, along with another great trumpet player, Chet Baker.

He became addicted to drugs in the late 1960’s and joined Synanon, a group to rehabilitate drug addicts. He did return, clean, to recording in the mid 70’s. He wrote his autobiography Straight Life: the Story of Art Pepper in1979, co-written with his then wife Laurie Pepper. It is an exceptional book.

Art Pepper wrote this gorgeous ballad for his daughter, whose name, of course, was Patricia. He died from complications from a stroke in 1982. His health had been negatively affected, and had greatly deteriorated by his prison sentences, fifteen years in three prisons, and his addiction and recuperación. He would die at the age of only 56 years.

Awards received: DownBeat Readers’ Poll, second (to Charlie Parker), best altoist, 1951-52; DownBeat Critics’ Poll, best altoist deserving wider recognition, 1957 and 1977; DownBeat Critics’ Poll, best established altoist, 1980; Swing Journal record of the year, 1980.

ENJOY: