Art Pepper: Notes from a Jazz Survivor

Oct 1 1982 Not Rated 0h 48m
Biography, Documentary, Music

Saxophonist Art Pepper (1925-1982) lived the kind of jazz life only found in Hollywood movies. His prodigious talent led him to top gigs as a teenager, but drugs and attendant criminal activity knocked him out of commission for virtually all of the 1960s and early 1970s. This documentary, shot shortly after his searing memoir, {-Straight Life}, was published in 1979, shows Pepper in the full flower of a remarkable comeback. His third wife, Laurie, is featured prominently; they met in the drug treatment facility Synanon in 1969 and were married in 1974. She took over his business affairs and helped him write {-Straight Life}. Pepper tells his own story here, but the emphasis is on an evening's performance at a club in Malibu, with the musician in fine form, backed by a terrific trio. (Tom Wiener, Rovi)

Plot

An intensely personal and sometimes painful look into the fascinating world of Art Pepper. One of Jazz' greatest alto saxophonists and most expressive soloists, Pepper was also a thief, drug addict, alcoholic, womanizer, and world renown wildman. In candid interviews he recounts his triumphs, troubles, and luck in meeting Laurie, his last wife. For half the film Pepper leads a trio in a Malibu nightclub, the set includes: "Red Car", "Patricia", and "Miss Who?".

Written by

N/A

Directed by

Don McGlynn

Cast

Art Pepper, Laurie Pepper

Crew

View crew

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Trailers
ART PEPPER: NOTES FROM A JAZZ SURVIVOR(1982)
Scores
# of Votes
59
Average Rating
7.1 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA