Washington Post
Paul Sampson : 06/09/1957

On the strength of his many recent recordings, Art Pepper is moving back into the ranks of the very best alto saxophonists. Although he plays with exemplary imagination and swing, Pepper’s greatest asset is his direct emotional communication.

The emotional impact is powerful on an excellent Intro LP, Modern Art, notably in two remarkable blues, in which Pepper is accompanied only by bass. In Blues Out, he pushes his horn to the limits of expression in an intense, jagged solo, while Blues In is marked by restraint and latent tension.

Pepper’s adeptness at other moods and tempos is demonstrated in the LP, especially on the assured swing of Stompin’ at the Savoy and Cool Bunny. He’s ably accompanied by Russ Freeman, Ben Tucker and Chuck Flores, who has become an expert small combo drummer. Highly recommended.

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Down Beat : 06/27/1957
Jack Tracy : 4 stars

A loose, free blowing session which provides most of its kicks from Pepper‘s obvious eagerness to say something. There is little here in the way of form (when it is utilized, as on Dilemma, it just gets in the way).

He best gets his legs under him on Blues In and Out, which actually is nearly 10 straight minutes of Art crying out his story, accompanied only by Tucker, split into two sections.

He is at once moving and sobbing and laughing and protesting, as if playing all alone in a dark, empty hall. Despite the flaws and slips that are almost inevitable in an entirely improvised speech of this length, it is a memorable performance.

Pepper has seemingly found his voice. He could well be the most important altoist about today – he has something to say and the means with which to express it.

Accompaniment is most able, with Tucker showing why he is gaining so much respect among the west coasters who have heard him, Freeman soloing well in addition to background duties, and Flores relying mainly upon firm but unostentatious brushwork to move the group along.

Recommended chiefly for the salty Pepper, however.

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Liner Notes by Don Clark

Modern Art, the title chosen for this Art Pepper Quartet album, was easily selected by the fact that on this set you will find a very modern Art Pepper blowing the best modern jazz on the scene today. This may seem to be a rather reckless statement to make, in view of the fact that men like Desmond, Konitz, and Shank are so strongly entrenched in the spotlight of success. Therefore, some clarification is necessary. Some people never find their “niche” in life, some at least do what they like to do, but only a very few do what they were chosen to do. Art Pepper applies to the latter. He was born to be a jazz musician. Although he doesn’t want to, Art Pepper could not do anything else if he wanted to. All his ability, thinking, and feeling are channeled into one thing: playing jazz and writing it. Any musician here on the coast who has heard Art will testify to the fact that Art was meant to be what he is; the best. Greats, like Lester, Bird, and John Lewis have this rare asset in their favor; doing what they were born to do. Pepper has been playing alto for about twenty years and tasted the wine of success when featured with the Kenton aggregation from 1947 to 1951, but the wine turned bitter, and Art became dissatisfied with his progress. Laying off the jazz scene for a while seems to have been a great benefit, because in the short time he has been back, Art is “coming on like gangbusters,” blowing a wide clear path right to the top. This is the modern Art Pepper you will find in this set. A Pepper who is taking every advantage of his vast ability. He possesses vast emotional warmth, fantastic sense of timing, rich full tone, and an architecture of his own. He is a perfectionist, and will not tolerate sloppy playing. He knows how he wants to play, and he knows he can do it, if the conditions are right. It is quite obvious in this set that the conditions are right. Russ Freeman, Ben Tucker, and Chuck Flores weld themselves into a neat swinging rhythm section, laying down a pattern which provides Pepper all the inspiration needed to really dig in. There is a common bond of friendship and “mutual admiration society” thing going between them. Russ and Art have long been friends, and are renewing musical associations started in 1952 when Russ played on Art’s Quartet. Russ is widely regarded as one of the finest jazz pianists on the scene, and is currently with the Shelly Manne Quintet. However, he is in constant demand for record dates, and has recorded with just about every group on the west coast. Ben Tucker is one of Art Pepper’s very few favorite bass players. Ben is a member of the Warne Marsh Quintet, and met Art when he used to come down and sit in with the Marsh group at the Haig. They fast became musical and personal friends, and Ben has become a regular member of any recording Art does. Chuck Flores appears on this rhythm section with excellent references. A year with Woody Herman, a year with Bud Shank Quartet, and most recently with the Claude Williams Trio. The meteoric rise of Chuck’s career is somewhat sensational, but not surprising when you hear how really good he is. Chuck Flores is an asset to any jazz group.

Music

To try and tell the listener what to listen to in this set is rather unnecessary, because it is all good jazz, and whereas some things move some people, the very same things might leave other listeners cold. Believe one thing though, there is a lot of great jazz in this set; the kind of jazz that demands your concentration, and after concentrating and listening closely, you will come away satisfied. There are too many recorded efforts when after listening, you feel wanting, and wish they had done it a little differently. On this set you will find a rhythm section that could do no more. The fulfillment is complete. In Art Pepper’s playing there is a wondrous completeness that fills the soul, and makes a person happy he is a jazz fan. Listen closely to Art’s inventions. He really has a fascinating melodic story to tell, full of emotion, color, and originality. The compelling Blues In and Blues Out is a classic example of a great jazz artist’s ability to bare his soul through musical expression. Accompanied only by the strong bass work of Ben Tucker, Art plays some of the most inspired jazz one will ever hear on record. These two tracks reveal the true musical genius of Pepper. A musician who has the rare asset of constructing harmonic lines of great beauty and imagination. In fact, Art could play by himself, and invent more, and make it sound greater than most jazzmen could with a whole group for support. Russ Freeman’s delightful work is evident all through this set, in his magnificently swinging solo work, as well as in his sensitive, comping behind Art. Russ builds a solid foundation for Art’s construction.