A Creek and Kaw Indian raised in Portland, Oregon, Jim Pepper combined Native American rythms with jazz, rock, and gospel music, and in doing so was a pioneer in both jazz/rock fusion and "world music." Pepper came to prominence in the late 1960s in New York City with guitarist Larry Coryell's "Free Spirits" band. He later worked with Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, Mal Waldron, Gordon Lee, and the Liberation Music Orchestra of Charlie Haden and Carla Bley, among many others. His signature song, "Witchi Tai To," has been often recorded, both in jazz and pop realms, and remains a signature piece in the repertoire of the originally Pacific Northwest based group, Oregon. Pepper's seminal recording is "Comin' and Goin'," which contains the title track as well as the quintessential recording of "Witchi Tai To." Pepper died of cancer in 1992 at the age of 50. An excellent video documentary of Pepper's life in music, "Pepper's Pow Wow," has been produced by Sandra Sunrising Osawa (Makah nation) of Upstream Productions. See also: http://jimpepperlives.wordpress.com/
Witchi Tai To
The Jim Pepper Story, part I
The Jim Pepper Story, part II
