Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III, born October 8, 1930, in Highland Park,
Michigan, was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. After early
lessons on piano, trumpet, and clarinet, Adams switched to tenor saxophone in
1943 and adopted the baritone saxophone in 1948, joining Detroit's jazz scene
and collaborating with Willie Wells, Donald Byrd, and later the Thad Jones/Mel
Lewis Big Band. A debut album as leader, Baritones and French Horns, was
released in 1957, followed by releases including The Cool Sound of Pepper Adams
(1957), Mean What You Say (1966) with Thad Jo...