PEPPER ADAMS Vinyl Records and CDs

There have been precious few virtuoso baritone saxophone players in the history of jazz. Pepper Adams is one of them, redefining the instrument?Æs capabilities with his deep-swinging, Hard Bop growl. Unlike the romantic, satin-and-sandpaper tone of Harry Carney or the cool-jazz fluidity of Gerry Mulligan, Adams had a gruff, no-nonsense tone, playing with the lightning speed and harmonic density usually associated with tenor or alto sax players. His most prolific period occurred from 1958-1963, when he made several notable recordings as a bandleader, including a full album of Charles Mingus tunes. He was also a highly prolific sideman, recording important sessions with John Coltrane, Johnny Griffin, Lee Morgan, Chet Baker, and Donald Byrd. Adams?Æs hard-edged playing paved the way for such Post Bop and Avant-Garde baritone giants as Hamiett Bluiett, James Carter, and Alex Harding.