Art Pepper was without question one of the most sublimely beautiful alto sax players who ever graced the jazz scene, in his music and visage both… The dozen records that bear his name as leader are testament to his incredible art, and his autobiography, Straight Life — a collaboration with his wife Laurie Pepper — is one of the key documents of a life in jazz.

Laurie has just published a memoir called Art: Why I Stuck with a Junkie Jazzman that is brilliantly written and insightful.  She’ll be here for our jazz program on Friday, the 19th of September, when guitarist Scott Foster puts his quartet (Larry de la Cruz on alto, Tomoko Funaki on bass and Omar Aran on drums) through the paces to bring Art Pepper’s legacy of music to life.  Alto sax player Jerry Dodgion will be a special guest on the bandstand for the evening.  When the music is done, Laurie will share some of the book and her thoughts about a musician who left an indelible mark on all who heard him play.  Read more on Laurie in the latest issues of Harper’s Magazine and Jazz Times.