Art Pepper: 'Round Midnight

Due to what the 1950s jazz press euphemistically called "personal problems," the once-prolific Art Pepper made just one recording session between late 1957 and early '59. When his chance came at last for a comeback, Pepper was fortuitously matched with arranger Marty Paich, who believed the chamber orchestral ambience of Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool and Gerry Mulligan's Tentette merited ongoing exploration long after Miles and Mulligan had downsized. Here, Pepper and Paich give Thelonious Monk's oft-recorded "'Round Midnight" one of its most scintillating interpretations. Weaving in and out of Marty's lush backgrounds, Art pours heart and soul into this deeply moving performance.