A Contemporary Records Classic: Art Pepper's ...The Way It Was! Features Music from Four Different Sessions with Four Separate Ensembles

Mobile Fidelity Numbered-Edition Hybrid SACD Corrects Sonic Flaws of Prior Editions, Plays with Pure Tonality and Creamy Smoothness

Sometimes, odd circumstances get in the way of great records and make the final product that much more rewarding. Art Pepper’s …The Way It Was! is an example of such an album. Released in 1972 by the legendary Contemporary Records label, the set is actually a compilation of phenomenal tracks recorded by the saxophone giant at four separate dates and with four different ensembles from 1956-1960. The material sat in the can for more than a decade until Pepper, particularly influenced by what he heard on the four unissued takes from a November 1956 session with tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, decided to release it at a time when modal jazz dominated the landscape.
 
Pepper’s instincts proved correct. Everything here is stellar. It’s unthinkable that this music almost never saw the light of day. Despite pulling from various sessions, …The Way It Was! maintains continuity and showcases all of Pepper’s myriad musical dimensions. In conversation with Marsh—who, incredibly, recorded only one other time with his alto sax peer—Pepper makes improvised solos sound like planned compositions. Such is the natural ease, delightful flow, and seamless chemistry that define performances like as the summery “All the Things You Are,” Dixieland-flavored “I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me,” and jam-spawned version of Lester Young’s “Tickle Toe.” The non-Marsh cuts are equally strong, with “The Man I Love” and “The Way You Look Tonight” featuring two Miles Davis rhythm sections, respectively. Bassist Paul Chambers plays with both; Philly Joe Jones and Jimmy Cobb take turns behind the drums.

Mastering directly from the original master tapes, MoFi went to great lengths to preserve these sessions. After auditioning the master tapes, the engineers discovered that the commercial CD version had artificial echo added and that the bass was summed. (Having the bass summed is common practice for LP cutting when the bass is recorded to one side; summing the bass moves the lower frequencies closer to the middle of the soundstage and therefore allows the cutter head to inscribe the lacquer more effectively.) Since the original tapes had no artificial echo, MoFi engineers saw no reason to manipulate the label's reissue in this way.

In fact, the tapes sounded so good that no equalization was done in the transfer process at MoFi's California studio. The Tim de Paravicini modified Studer A-80 was plugged in directly to the Meitner A/D converters with nothing in the signal path; just a straight wire. As always, special attention was made to calibration and dialing in the azimuth. What can be heard on this SACD is the natural tone of the room, improved detail, better soundstage and depth of field, and pure tonality.

Further distinguished by a remarkably wide-open soundstage, superb depth, and unlimited ceiling, this numbered-edition SACD allows you to hear into Pepper’s creamy tones, spirited leads, and emotional nuances. This is a luxurious mood painting in which you’ll easily get lost.