Dates as Leader
During his thirty year recording career, Pepper Adams was a prolific sideman and session player, with a discography reaching nearly 800 entries. Fortunately, Adams also recorded twenty dates as a leader or co-leader. Below is a list only of those recordings led by Adams for which he had artistic control. Many dates attributed to Adams, such as live dates released posthumously, for example, are not included. Moreover, almost all of the Donald Byrd-Pepper Adams Quintet recordings are not listed, even though the band was a co-led, working unit, because the contract with Blue Note was in Byrd's name. For the sake of brevity, I've listed only the original title, original label, and recording date. Hover over each title to see the album cover along with some descriptive information.
    Pepper Adams-Curtis Fuller Sextet (Transition). Recorded April 20, 1956.                         
    Baritones and French Horns (Prestige). Recorded April 20, 1957.                         
    Pepper Adams Quintet (Mode). Recorded July 12, 1957.                         
    Critics’ Choice (Pacific Jazz). Recorded August 13-14, 1957.                         
    The Cool Sound of Pepper Adams (Savoy). Recorded November 19, 1957.                         
    The Pepper-Knepper Quintet (Metrojazz). Recorded March 25, 1958.                         
    10 to 4 at the Five Spot (Riverside). Recorded April 15, 1958.                         
    Live at the Great South Bay Jazz Festival (United, unreleased). Recorded August 3, 1958.                         
    (Stinson, unreleased). Recorded December, 1959.                                           
    Motor City Scene (Bethlehem). Recorded mid-November, 1960.                         
    Out of This World (Warwick). Recorded January, 1961.                                                  
    Pepper Adams Plays Charlie Mingus (Workshop). Recorded September 9 and 12, 1963.                         
    (Workshop, unreleased). Recorded December 3, 1963.                         
    Mean What You Say (Milestone). Recorded April 26, May 4 and May 9, 1966.                         
    Encounter (Prestige). Recorded December 11-12, 1968.                         
    Ephemera (Spotlite). Recorded September 9-10, 1973.                         
    Julian (Enja). Recorded August 13, 1975.                                                  
    Twelfth and Pingree (Enja). Recorded August 13, 1975.                         
    Reflectory (Muse). Recorded June 14, 1978.                         
    The Master (Muse). Recorded March 11, 1980.                         
    Urban Dreams (Palo Alto). Recorded September 30, 1981.                         
    Live at Fat Tuesday’s (Uptown). Recorded August 19-20, 1983.                         
    The Adams Effect (Uptown). Recorded June 25-26, 1985.