Art Farmer - Portrait of Art Farmer (9 tracks) +Album Reviews

Wonderful farmer

robert s maloney | greenacres, FL United States | 01/06/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own this record. I'm buying it on cd just for convenience. Art's ideas are beautiful. Louis Hayes on drums is on top of the flow. It would seem that the songs were well rehearsed before the final edit. If you like Art Farmer, get this."

Farmer feigns flamboyance, fashions festivity

Eric C. Sedensky | Madison, AL, US | 11/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I suppose that in the annals of jazz trumpeters, Art Farmer's name is not one that leaps to most minds. Even as a bit of a trumpet aficionado myself, he was far down on my list of artists to learn about. Since picking up this recording, however, he has moved up quickly. His tone is impeccable, and while he lacks Miles Davis' minimalism, Kenny Dorham's brightness, and Fats Navarro's sensitivity, he toots out in a style that is fundamentally solid and artistically balanced. The direction he goes in is always the direction the songs wants to go in. Speaking of which, one of the best features of this recording is the relative obscurity of the songs. In addition to some of Art's originals, there are a smattering of jazz would-be-standards, great songs that simply aren't covered enough, in my opinion. Farmer's backing band includes his equally intrepid brother Addison on bass, the always reliable Hank Jones on piano, and the ubiquitous and timeless Roy Haynes on drum, arguably a legendary rhythm section, and they support and accentuate their leader very capably. This is just a well-executed, interesting, enjoyable recording, and as a first exposure to the work of Art Farmer, I think it is wonderful. I look forward to obtaining many more of Farmer's recordings in the near future, and I know I'll like them even if they are only half as good as this one."

Portrait

Bomojaz | South Central PA, USA | 02/05/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 1958 Contemporary album points out the minimalist side of Art Farmer's playing. He plays trumpet without any use of vibrato and his approach is similar to Miles Davis's modal playing of the time: bare- and sparse. Never actually a cold or intellectually forbidding player, he gives the impression of purposely distancing himself from his surroundings. Interestingly, he notes in the liners that he admired the tune BY MYSELF because of its lyric "I'll face the unknown and build a world of my own." That aloneness comes through clearly here. Pianist Hank Jones is the other front-line player on this quartet date, and his single-note playing, especially on THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU and NITA, seems expansive in contrast to Art's diminutiveness. Only once before (and only a few times later) did Farmer record without another horn player joining him, and I find the results better with that extra support. This is a good album, but others, (his next one, for example, MODERN ART) are more satisfying."

Portrait of Art Farmer

TiAja | Vallejo, CA USA | 10/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"IT'S TEN O'CLOCK on a Friday night in anybigcity, USA, and you are midway down the steps leading into the small Jazz Club on Second Street South. This Club, you have heard, is the place to see live jazz, a club where many up and coming artists perform live. You have heard live jazz only once or twice before, but definitely not in such an august setting. The poster outside confirms that Mr. X is playing with his quartet, composed of musicians whose names you don't recognize. But your friend, who purports to be an aficionado, has told you Mr. X is a living legend. Tonight's performance by Mr. X is a tribute to the musical genius of Art Farmer. Who is Art Farmer, you ask?

"One . . . two . . . one, two, uh, uh, uh," and the music begins.

Hey, you recognize the song! You can't remember the title or lyrics, but you have a CD of Joe Williams or some other great jazz crooner singing this song, and you love it, although this quartet seems to be playing it awfully fast. You triumphantly recall the title, "The Very Thought of You," and watch. Soon you are transfixed by Mr. X's fluid statement of the melody. Such is the transcendent power of Art Farmer's music. As you listen to the quiet thoughtfulness of his unmistakable genius, you immediately sense the familiar. His phrasing, though unique in its intent, is so reminiscent of Miles. The "Portrait of Art Farmer" is a memorable conversation between you and a close friend. It is a sketch of something well-known stretched over a bare canvas. It is spiritual and natural. It is lyrical and melodic. Yet there is no contradiction, only synthesis. You may be more aware of the commercial success of Mr. X., but it's time you met an original.

"

A work of art

Nuno Frederico Oliveira | 01/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Another one for Art Farmer. The man could really play, and how he does it in this really nice record. A portrait of early Farmer, on trumpet only, with a deluxe rhythm section, playing some originals and a couple of good standards. A classic."

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