I began to love jazz shortly after college. Not sure of the exact time frame but assume, these many decades later, that it was more a slow burn than an incendiary love-at-first-listen. What I do know for a fact is that Art Pepper was never in my cassette or CD collection. Despite that, I’m sure I heard him play in those days with tracks like “Straight Life” and “Diane” undoubtedly reaching my ears in the late ’80s and ’90s.
Given this slow start, why is Art Pepper so prevalent in my Roon all-time listening stats? The obvious answer is that he’s amazing but it started with one word: Bosch. I read Michael Connelly’s series and watched the excellent TV adaptation from 2015 to 2021. The series captivated me in many ways but the thing I loved was the music and Bosch’s gear (hello McIntosh MC240!). It convinced me we’re kindred spirits where music is concerned, even if I’m less capable of relating to his passion for solving crimes. 😁
Michael Connelly · A Darkness More Than Night“Well, he could play,” McCaleb said.
“Yeah, he could,” Bosch agreed. “Genius with a needle in his arm.”
Bosch stepped over and turned the volume up slightly. The song was “Straight Life,” Pepper’s signature composition.
“Do you believe that?” McCaleb asked.
“What, that he was a genius? Yeah, he was with the sax.”
“No, I mean do you think that every genius—musician, artist, even a detective—has a fatal flaw like that? The needle in the arm.”
“I think everybody’s got a fatal flaw, whether they’re a genius or not.”
Bosch’s love of jazz in general and his love of Art Pepper’s “Patricia” in particular sparked my interest in the man and his art. In addition to being a great sax player and composer, Pepper has a compelling story and his autobiography, Straight Life, is on my “to read” list.
Thank you, Michael Connelly, for creating this compelling character and, more importantly, for turning me on to Art Pepper’s music.