Alto saxophonist Art Pepper was in bad shape when he teamed up with Miles Davis’s rhythm section (Red Garland, Paul Chambers, Philly Joe Jones) for this 1957 recording date. He was strung out on heroin, his saxophone wasn’t working well, and he had never played alongside these musicians before. But somehow the quartet wrung magic out of the session. Jones, in particular, is on fire, pushing Pepper to unusual heights of invention, and the whole crew sound as if they’ve been playing together for years. Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section is a monument of the West coast cool jazz style.