He began his career in the 1940s, playing with Benny Carter and Stan Kenton (1946-52). By the 1950s Pepper was recognized as one of the leading alto saxophonists in jazz, epitomized by his finishing second only to Charlie Parker as Best Alto Saxophonist in the Down Beat magazine Readers Poll of 1952. Along with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan and Shelly Manne, and perhaps due more to geography than playing style, Pepper is often associated with the musical movement known as West Coast jazz, as contrasted with the East Coast (or "hot") jazz associated with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Pepper was a member of Buddy Rich's Big Band from 1968 to 1969, and in 1977 and 1978 made two well received tours of Japan.
Perhaps most famous for his recurring legal transgressions, stemming from his addiction to heroin, Pepper had several memorable and productive "comebacks" throughout his career. Remarkably, his substance abuse and legal travails did not affect the quality of his recordings, which maintained a high level of musicianship throughout his career until his death from a brain hemorrhage.
Examples of Pepper's most famous albums from this period are Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, Art Pepper + Eleven - Modern Jazz Classics, Gettin' Together, and Smack Up. Representative music from this time appears on The Aladdin Recordings (three volumes), The Early Show, The Late Show, The Complete Surf Ride, and The Way It Was!, which features a session recorded with Warne Marsh.
Pepper lived for many years in the hills of Echo Park, in Los Angeles. He had become a heroin addict in the 1940s, and his career was interrupted by drug-related prison sentences in 1954–56, 1960-61, 1961-64 and 1964-65; the final two sentences were served in San Quentin. In the late 1960s Pepper spent time in Synanon, a drug rehabilitation group.
After beginning methadone therapy in the mid-1970s, Art had a musical comeback and recorded a series of highly acclaimed albums. Albums from this later period include Living Legend, Art Pepper Today, Among Friends, and Live in Japan: Vol. 2.
His autobiography, Straight Life (1980) (transcribed by his third wife Laurie Pepper), is a unique exploration into the jazz music world, as well as drug and criminal subcultures of mid-20th century California. The documentary film Art Pepper: Notes from a Jazz Survivor, available on DVD, devotes much space to music from one of his late groups featuring pianist Milcho Leviev. There is also an interview with Laurie Pepper available on NPR.
'Round Midnight
Art Pepper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Round midnight, midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
But it really gets bad
'Round midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
When my heart is still with you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
When a quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart
And I'm out of my mind
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Till our love is safe and sound
And old midnight comes around
Feelin' sad
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
In the song 'Round Midnight by Art Pepper & Georges Cables, the singer is experiencing difficult feelings and memories that come up around the time of midnight. The opening lines, "It begins to tell, 'Round midnight, midnight", set the stage for the rest of the song. The singer notes that they usually do pretty well until after sundown or suppertime, when they start to feel sad. However, it really gets bad around midnight. Memories start to flood their mind and they can't bear to stand those memories because their heart is still with the person they're thinking of. The singer wonders if a recent quarrel they had means the end of their love, and they express their need for the other person.
The chorus provides a glimmer of hope, with the suggestion that at midnight, their love could be safe and sound again. They call for their hearts to take wings and for the angels to sing for the other person's return. Ultimately, the song ends on a bittersweet note, as the singer still feels sad despite this hopeful longing. These lyrics express a sense of time passing, and with it, the persistence of painful memories and the desire for a love that may feel out of reach.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell
The story starts to unfold
'Round midnight, midnight
When it's dark and late at night
I do pretty well, till after sundown
I manage to keep myself busy until the evening sets in
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
When it's time to eat, I start feeling gloomy
But it really gets bad
But the sadness intensifies
'Round midnight
When it's late at night and memories start to resurface
Memories always start 'round midnight
The recollection of our past experiences always begin around midnight
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
I cannot bear to face those memories
When my heart is still with you
When my heart still belongs to you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
Late at night, it's evident that I'm still thinking of you
When a quarrel we had needs mending
When we need to fix the argument we had
Does it mean that our love is ending
Does that imply our love is fading away?
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
My love, I require your presence, and lately I realize
You're out of my heart
You've moved away from my heart
And I'm out of my mind
And I'm losing my sanity over it
Let our hearts take wings'
Let's allow our hearts to soar
'Round midnight, midnight
Late at night when the stars are shining
Let the angels sing
May the angels sing
For your returning
In anticipation of your arrival
Till our love is safe and sound
Until our relationship is secure
And old midnight comes around
When it's late at night again
Feelin' sad
Feeling gloomy
Really gets bad
The sadness gets even worse
Round, Round, Round Midnight
Late at night the memories come back, and the feelings return with more intensity
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cootie Williams, Bernard D Hanighen, Theolonious S Monk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marshall Ignas
Fun fact about Marty Paich, his son was a member of the band Toto.
Brenda Murphy
The best sax player ever in my book
Julio Coronado
no one can play like him!!! The very best!!!
Ad supermusone
I agree. "So nice to come home to" woahhhhh
Brenda Murphy
The bear club this must be played at the next jamming session on Sunday
gad gad
big up birdy.