Jazz / Bop, Cool, Hard Bop
Art Farmer - Flugelhorn, Trumpet
Ed Thigpen - Drums
Giancarlo Barigozzi Engineer
Giovanni Bonandrini Producer
Isio Saba Photography
Kenny Drew Piano
Mads Vinding Bass
Nat Hentoff Liner Notes
Sahib Shihab Sax (Soprano), Sax (Baritone)
Yasuhisa Yoneda Photography
Art Farmer added a bit of a different twist for these 1981 studio sessions, including baritone saxophonist Sahib Shihab with him in the front line, along with fellow expatriate Americans Kenny Drew (piano) and Ed Thigpen (drums), plus bassist Mads Vinding. Drew contributed the first two songs, including the boisterous mid-tempo opener "Context" and the brisk blues "Blue Wail," both top-notch features for Farmer and Shihab. The intricate take of Charlie Parker's "Passport" and Bennie Wallace's inventive "Back Door Beauty" find Shihab switching to soprano sax. The only standard is a lush take of "Manhattan," showcasing the leader's lyrical flugelhorn. This release is a little short by CD standards, clocking under 40 minutes, but it will be of great interest to fans of Art Farmer. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Art Farmer
Active Decades: '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s
Born: Aug 21, 1928 in Council Bluffs, IA
Died: Oct 04, 1999 in New York, NY
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Bop, Cool, Hard Bop, Mainstream Jazz, Post-Bop
Largely overlooked during his formative years, Art Farmer's consistently inventive playing was more greatly appreciated as he continued to develop. Along with Clark Terry, Farmer helped to popularize the flugelhorn among brass players. His lyricism gave his bop-oriented style its own personality. Farmer studied piano, violin and tuba before settling on trumpet. He worked in Los Angeles from 1945 on, performing regularly on Central Avenue and spending time in the bands of Johnny Otis, Jay McShann, Roy Porter, Benny Carter and Gerald Wilson among others; some of the groups also included his twin brother bassist Addison Farmer (1928-63). After playing with Wardell Gray (1951-52) and touring Europe with Lionel Hampton's big band (1953) Farmer moved to New York and worked with Gigi Gryce (1954-56), Horace Silver's Quintet (1956-58) and the Gerry Mulligan Quartet (1958-9). Farmer, who made many recordings in the latter half of the 1950s (including with Quincy Jones and George Russell and on some jam-session dates for Prestige) co-led the Jazztet with Benny Golson (1959-62) and then had a group with Jim Hall (1962-64). He moved to Vienna in 1968 where he joined the Austrian Radio Orchestra, worked with the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band and toured with his own units. Since the 1980s Farmer visited the U.S. more often and has remained greatly in demand up until his death on October 4, 1999. Farmer recorded many sessions as a leader through the years including for Prestige, Contemporary, United Artists, Argo, Mercury, Atlantic, Columbia, CTI, Soul Note, Optimism, Concord, Enja and Sweet Basil.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
