Popo is a West Coast jazz album with a previously unreleased 1951 recording session by trumpeterShorty Rogers and his quintet. It was first released on LP in 1980 by Don Schlitten on his Xanadu label. Due to his prominence, the album cover gives credit to alto saxophonistArt Pepper as co-leader alongside Rogers who actually led the studio session on December 27 that also featured pianist Frank Patchen, Howard Rumsey on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums.[1] At the time the musicians also played together at the Lighthouse club in Hermosa Beach as Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All-Stars.[2] Shortly after Art Pepper would lead his first quartet (with Hampton Hawes).[3]
^On a live recording from January 6, 1952 they were supplemented by trombonist Milt Burnhart and Jimmy Giuffre on tenor saxophone (first released in Japan in 1991). Cf. listing of the Lighthouse session in the Art Pepper discography on Jazzdisco.org).
^Live recordings from February 1952 at the Surf Club in Hollywood were released as The Early Show (1976) and The Late Show (1980), also on Xanadu. Cf. both sessions on Jazzdisco.org.
