Pepper Adams

Baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams was one of the most eminent journeymen of 1950s jazz and beyond. Adams was drawn to his chosen instrument by the sound of the great Duke Ellington sideman Harry Carney and bebop tenor saxophonist Wardell Gray. The heavily emphatic approach of another tenor master, Coleman Hawkins, was also a factor in shaping Adams's style. Moving to New York from Detroit, he contributed to a number of important sessions, including Charles Mingus's seminal BLUES AND ROOTS in 1959. Unlike the cool, contrapuntal approach of fellow baritone player Gerry Mulligan, Adams's pungent sound and robust attack made him an ideally versatile sideman during the hard-bop era. He died from lung cancer in 1986 at the age of 55.