Pepper Adams: Difference between revisions

Pepper Adams was born in [[Highland Park, Michigan]], to father Park Adams II, who worked as the manager of a [[furniture store]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1802589 |title=Adams, Pepper |last=Kernfeld |first=Barry |website=American National Biography |year=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1802589 |access-date=August 22, 2022}}</ref> and mother, Cleo Marie Coyle.<ref name="Harvard Bio" /><ref name="Carner Chronology">{{cite web|last=Carner|first=Gary|title=Pepper Adams: Chronology|url=http://www.pepperadams.com/Chronology/index.html|access-date=12 April 2014}}</ref> Both of his parents were college graduates, with each spending some time at the [[University of Michigan]].<ref name="Pepper Adams Autobiography">{{cite web|last=Adams|first=Pepper|title=An Autobiography of Pepper Adams|url=http://www.pepperadams.com/PepperOnPepper/Page01.html|access-date=12 April 12, 2014}}</ref>

Due to the onset of the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]], Adams' parents separated to allow his father to find work without geographic dependence.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> In the fall of 1931, Adams moved with his mother to his extended family's farm near [[Columbia City, Indiana]], where food and support were more readily available.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> In 1933, Adams began playing piano.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> His father having reunited with the family, they moved to [[Rochester, New York]], in 1935 and in that city he began his musical efforts on tenor sax and clarinet.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> Two years later, Adams began deepening his developing passion for music by listening to [[Fats Waller]]'s daily radio show.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> He was also influenced at a young age by listening to [[Fletcher Henderson]]'s big band radio broadcasts out of Nashville, [[Jimmie Lunceford]], [[Duke Ellington]], and [[Cab Calloway]].<ref name="Carner Chronology" /><ref name="AllMusic.com Bio">{{cite web|title=Pepper Adams|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pepper-adams-mn0000255377/biography|publisher=AllMusic.com|access-date=12 April 2014}}</ref> Adams would later describe "[his] time up until the age of eight or so [as] really just traveling from one place to another".<ref name="Pepper Adams Autobiography" /> As early as fourth grade, Adams sold cigarettes and candy door-to-door in order to contribute to his family's income for essential items.<ref name="Carner Chronology" />

In 1943, Adams skipped school for a week in order to see Ellington play local gigs. He eventually met [[Rex Stewart]], who further introduced him to [[Harry Carney]] and other band members. This led to Adams being able to take lessons from [[Skippy Williams]], who was the tenor saxophonist in Ellington's band.<ref name="Carner Chronology" />

Adams switched to the tenor saxophone in the fall of 1943, which was made possible due to his jobs as a box cutter in the mail order room of a jazz store and an usher at a movie theater, which gaveallowing him to make enough money to buy the instrument.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> His job at the jazz store also allowed him to listen to all of the newest available jazz records <ref name="Pepper Adams Autobiography" /> and led to his emulation of [[Coleman Hawkins]], who he had heard play locally in 1945,<ref name="New Grove Jazz">{{cite web|last=Jeske|first=Lee|title=Adams, Pepper|url=http://0-www.oxfordmusiconline.com.dewey2.library.denison.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/J002400?q=pepper+adams&search=quick&source=omo_gmo&pos=2&_start=1#firsthit|work=The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd Edition|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=12 April 2014}}</ref> and interest in the music of [[Don Byas]].<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> Adams'His first steady gig came in 1946 with a six-piece group led by [[Ben Smith (musician)|Ben Smith]], which then caused him to drop out of school in the 11th grade due to working six nights a week.<ref name="Carner Chronology" />

At age 16, Adams and his mother moved to Detroit, where he soon began playing with [[Willie Wells (jazz musician)|Willie Wells]], who he had heard play for [[Fletcher Henderson]], [[Fats Navarro]], [[Tommy Flanagan]], and Willie Anderson.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> He had received casual instruction from [[Wardell Gray]] and [[Billy Mitchell (saxophonist)|Billy Mitchell]], and played with a group led by [[Little John Wilson]] as well.<ref name="New Grove Jazz" /> Through the employee discount from his job at Grinnell's, a music store in Detroit, Adams purchased what would become his main instrument: the baritone saxophone.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> He initially purchased a used Bundy baritone saxophone, but later traded it in for a new [[Conn-Henri Selmer Paris|Selmer]] 'Balanced Action' E-flat baritone in 1948, which he used until 1978.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> This switch proved to be successful, as he was soon playing in [[Lucky Thompson]]'s band.<ref name="Feather">Feather, Leonard and Ira Gitler. ''Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. Oxford University Press, 1999. pp. p.5-6</ref> In Detroit, Adams also met several jazz musicians who would become future performing partners, including trumpeter [[Donald Byrd]]. He attended [[Wayne State University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pepperadams.com/Chronology/EarlyYears.html |title=PepperAdams.com |publisher=PepperAdams.com |access-date=2013-08-09}}</ref> Adams became interested in Wardell Gray's approach to the saxophone, later naming Gray and Harry Carney as his influences. He also spent time in a United States Army band, and briefly had a tour of duty in Korea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aaronlington.com/lington-aj.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-11-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081120232323/http://www.aaronlington.com/lington-aj.pdf |archive-date=2008-11-20 }}</ref>

Upon returning from Korea, Adams began playing at the [[Blue Bird Inn]] in Detroit where he played with [[Thad Jones]] under the leadership of [[Beans Richardson]].<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> When Jones left to play with [[Count Basie]], Adams then became the music director at the Blue Bird.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> In late 1954, Adams left the Blue Bird to join [[Kenny Burrell]]'s group at Klein's Show Bar, also in Detroit, where he would later become musical director following Burrell's departure.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> Following the recommendation of friend [[Oscar Pettiford]], Adams joined the [[Stan Kenton|Stan Kenton Orchestra]] in 1956, where he played for a majority of the year until leaving the group to form a new ensemble with [[Lee Katzman]] and [[Mel Lewis]] in Los Angeles.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> Before moving to California, Adams also recorded with [[Kenny Clarke]], [[Curtis Fuller]], and [[Quincy Jones]].<ref name="AllMusic.com Bio" /> In April 1957, Adams joined [[Chet Baker]]'s group, where he played for about a year.<ref name="Carner Chronology" />

Following the recommendation of friend [[Oscar Pettiford]], Adams joined the [[Stan Kenton|Stan Kenton Orchestra]] in 1956, where he played for a majority of the year until leaving the group to form a new ensemble with [[Lee Katzman]] and [[Mel Lewis]] in Los Angeles.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> Before moving to California, he recorded with [[Kenny Clarke]], [[Curtis Fuller]], and [[Quincy Jones]].<ref name="AllMusic.com Bio" /> In April 1957, Adams joined [[Chet Baker]]'s group, where he played for about a year.<ref name="Carner Chronology" />

He later moved to New York City, where he performed on the album ''[[Baritones and French Horns]]'' with [[Cecil Payne]] (later re-issued as ''[[Dakar (album)|Dakar]]'' as by [[John Coltrane]], who also played on the album), worked with [[Lee Morgan]] on ''[[The Cooker]]'', and briefly worked with [[Benny Goodman]]'s band in 1958. During this time, Adams also began working with [[Charles Mingus]], performing on one of Mingus's [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]] albums of the period, ''[[Blues & Roots]]'', which includes Adams' extended solo on "Moanin'". Thereafter, he recorded with Mingus sporadically until the latter's death in 1979. Adams formed a quintet with [[Donald Byrd]] in 1958 that lasted until 1961.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> Following the breakup of the Donald Byrd–Pepper Adams Quintet, Adams lacked a consistent band association until 1965 and the formation of the Thad Jones–Pepper Adams Quintet.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> During this phase, he performed with the likes of [[Teddy Charles]], [[Pony Poindexter]], [[Marcus Belgrave]], [[Thelonious Monk]], and [[Lionel Hampton]].<ref name="Carner Chronology" />

In September 1963, Adams made an agreement with [[Motown Records]] for an exclusive recording contract and an exclusive management contract with International Talent Management, a Motown affiliate.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> Prior to signing with Motown, Adams turned down an offer from [[Harry James]] to play in his Las Vegas-based band because it was extremely commercial and presented few opportunities to solo, despite its $10,000 annual salary.<ref name="Carner Chronology" />

He later became a founding member<ref name="Feather"/> of the [[Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band]], with whom he played from 1965 to 1976, and thereafter continued to record Jones's compositions on many of his own albums.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/pepper-adams-mn0000255377/biography |title=Pepper Adams &#124; Biography |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2013-08-09}}</ref> Adams also co-led a quintet with Donald Byrd from 1958 to 1962, with whom he recorded a live date, ''[[10 to 4 at the 5 Spot]]'' ([[Riverside Records|Riverside]]), featuring [[Elvin Jones]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=5576#.UgTJ6dL_lKQ |title=Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams: The Complete Blue Note Donald Byrd/Pepper Adams Studio Sessions |date=May 2000 |publisher=Allaboutjazz.com |access-date=2013-08-09}}</ref> and a sequence of albums for [[Blue Note Records|Blue Note]]. During this time he also played with the [[Sal Salvador|Sal Salvador Big Band]] at the Diamond Beach Club in [[Wildwood, New Jersey]], in August 1965, along with [[Teddy Charles]] in early 1966, and [[Ella Fitzgerald]] in 1967.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> Most of the [[Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band]] performances took place at the [[Village Vanguard]] in New York City, along with many colleges and other locations around the United States, Europe, and Asia.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> The 18-year period spent with [[Thad Jones]] was filled with almost constant touring when the band was not playing their steady gig at the [[Village Vanguard]].<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> One of the ensemble's most frequent performing locations outside the United States was the [[Jazzhus Montmartre|Montmartre]] in Copenhagen, Denmark.<ref name="Carner Chronology" />

Adams' solo career began in 1977 in California, where he initially stayed with John and Ron Marabuto.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> He soon played gigs with Mingus, Baker, and Hampton, with whom he went on a two-month European tour in 1978.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> On March 18, 1978, Adams purchased a new Selmer baritone saxophone that served as his interim back-up instrument for his original saxophone that he had been using since 1948.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> In 1979, Adams played several gigs with [[Per Husby]] across Norway. On June 5, 1980, the Berg Larsen mouthpiece Adams had been using for 32 years finally broke, which led him to replace it with a Dukoff D-5 mouthpiece and a Bari plastic reed.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> The following day, Adams premiered his new set-up at One Step Down in Washington, D.C.<ref name="Carner Chronology" />

Adams' life was severely altered by the leg injury he sustained in December 1983, which was caused by his car's parking brake becoming disengaged on his slanted driveway.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> This led the car to pin Adams up against his garage door, crushing his leg and restricting him to bed rest for the following five months.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> Despite the long recovery from his injury, Adams began playing again and exhibited his love for performing in October 1984 by flying from New York City all the way to Singapore for a one-night gig, then returning two days later.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> He eventually regained the strength in his leg to move without the use of a wheelchair or cane in January 1985, after more than a year of recovery.<ref name="Carner Chronology" />

Adams was a [[chain smoker]] for most of his life.<ref>Carner, G. (2012). Pepper Adams' Joy Road: An Annotated Discography. Germany: Scarecrow Press, p. 492</ref> While in Sweden in March 1985, he visited a chestthoracic specialist at the suggestion of a friend, [[Gunnar Windahl]], and was diagnosed with [[lung cancer]].<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> He was hospitalized for testing later that month in New York, then was forced to take a break from performing or traveling for two months that summer in order to undergo [[Radiation therapy|radiation treatments]].<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> A benefit concert was held for Adams on September 29, 1985, in New York City that featured [[Dizzy Gillespie]], [[Frank Foster (jazz musician)|Frank Foster]], [[Kenny Burrell]], [[Tommy Flanagan]], and the [[Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra]], among others.<ref name="Carner Chronology" /> Despite his various health issues, Adams continued pushing himself professionally, which was exemplified by his stretch in Dublin, Ireland, April 4–6, 1986, when he played five gigs over three days with five different bands.<ref name="Carner Chronology" />

Pepper Adams was in many ways the antithesis of near-contemporary baritone players [[Gerry Mulligan]] and [[Serge Chaloff]], who favored melodic [[cool jazz]]. In contrast, Adams managed to bring the cumbersome baritone into the blisteringly fast speeds of [[hard bop]].<ref>Cook, Richard and Brian Morton. The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. Penguin Books, 2004. p. 10</ref> Gary Carner, Adams's biographer, described his style as having "very long, tumbling, double-time melodic lines. And that raw, piercing, bark-like timbre."<ref name="Feather"/> Adams "succeeded in elevating [the baritone saxophone] to the level of all other solo instruments [with] blinding speed, penetrating timbre, distinctive sound, harmonic ingenuity, precise articulation, confident time-feel, and use of melodic paraphrase".<ref name="Grove Dictionary of American Music">{{cite web|last=Carner|first=Gary|title=Adams, Pepper|url=http://0-www.oxfordmusiconline.com.dewey2.library.denison.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/A2226814?q=pepper+adams&search=quick&source=omo_gmo&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit|work=The Grove Dictionary of American Music, 2nd Edition|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=12 April 12, 2014}}</ref>

Throughout his career, Adams consistently chose musical expression over large paychecks, as "[he] repeatedly recalled with great satisfaction his decision to play [in groups focused on musical expression] rather than to change his style to secure better paying jobs with now little-known white musicians".<ref name="New Grove Jazz" /> A large part of Adams' appeal was that "[he] had the remarkable ability to blow low with enormous power and swing, becoming a hefty addition to big band reed sections. He also was an equally dominant voice in small groups, adding ferocious excitement and stamina".<ref name=JazzWax.com>{{cite web|last=Myers|first=Marc|title=Complete Works of Pepper Adams|url=http://www.jazzwax.com/2012/09/complete-works-of-pepper-adams.html|work=JazzWax.com|access-date=12 April 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726150121/http://www.jazzwax.com/2012/09/complete-works-of-pepper-adams.html|archive-date=26 July 26, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Despite his prowess at hard bop, Adams was also adept at ballads and slower numbers. An example is his contribution to the album ''[[Chet (Chet Baker album)|Chet]]'' (1958) including a solo on the bittersweet "[[Alone Together (1932 song)|Alone Together]]" that critic Dave Nathan described as "one of the album's high points".<ref name="Allmusic">Nathan, D. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r134878|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic Review]. accessedAccessed March 19, 2010.</ref>

*''[[Heads Up! (Blue Mitchell album)|Heads Up!]]'' (Blue Note, 1967)

[[Category:20th-century American musicianssaxophonists]]