Producer John Snyder had always wanted to record Pepper and booked him into a week at
the Village Vanguard in New York. At the time, Pepper was under contract to Contemporary
Records and label head, Les Koenig, decided he would record the gigs, quashing any notion
Snyder had of doing the same. However, Art promised Snyder that he’d record an album for
Snyder’s label, Artists House, at some point down the road. Together they wound up making
four.
Here again on vinyl are the original albums drawn from these sessions, lovingly
recreated in their original form, remastered by Grammy® winner Michael Graves and recut
by Jeff Powell.
So In Love (originally issued in 1980) features Pepper’s takes on classics from Thelonious
Monk, Cole Porter, and Hoagy Carmichael, plus a pair of originals including 'Blues For
Blanche.' The CD and Digital add three bonus performances from the sessions. The AllMusic
review by Scott Yanow noted: "Pepper is in excellent form throughout the album, giving
these songs heart-wrenching interpretations".