Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section united the saxophonist with Miles Davis' crew at the time: pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. By all accounts, the early 1957 session should have been a disaster. Recently released from federal prison, Pepper was still struggling with a heroin addiction and severely out of practice. The gig had been set up by Pepper's girlfriend (unbeknownst to him until just hours before the sessions were to begin), and he discovered at the last minute that - after several months of not playing - the cork in the mouthpiece of his horn had come loose. "But in the end, the session proved to be a triumph rather than a disaster," says Phillips. "The camaraderie between Pepper and the Rhythm Section resulted in one of Art's greatest recordings." Jazz writer / broadcaster Neil Tesser, who penned the new liner notes to the reissue, suggests that music in this set "reveals an obvious camaraderie, true artistic achievement, and a distinct lack of self-doubt or intimidation - perhaps because musically, Pepper actually had a great deal in common with the Rhythm Section." He adds: "The ‘meeting' between Pepper and this rhythm section was less a matter of confrontation, or even creative friction, than a matter of shaking hands in the middle of a bridge spanning east- and west-coast idioms." "The Man I Love," a performance that was recorded at this session but was not included in the original album release, is included as a bonus track