Search - Art Farmer :: Time & The Place / Lost Concert

Lost Art Found

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 09/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For years I have been purchasing and enjoying Mosaic limited edition box sets and "Select" series titles, but Art Farmer's "The Time and the Place" was my first foray into the Mosaic "Singles" line. This 1966 concert showcases Art in top form at the Museum of Modern Art, but unfortunately this material was not chosen for release at the time by Columbia as they instead went with a fake studio live album and also called it "The Time and the Place" -- very confusing. Part of this set did eventually see the light of day in the early 80s, but the majority of it appears here for the first time, hence the subtitle "The Lost Concert." The best part of this set in my opinion is Art's frontline partnership with Jimmy Heath, though the whole band is truly first rate -- Albert Dailey on piano, Walter Booker on bass and Mickey Roker on drums. While there are moments when Heath is low in the mix and slightly out of tune, the exchanges between Art's flugelhorn and Heath's tenor sax are truly delightful. Many Heath favorites are explored here, including "Far Away Lands" and his arrangement of classical composer Ferde Grofe's "On The Trail" movement from the "Grand Canyon Suite" -- first heard on his Riverside album On the Trail (see my review) -- along with outstanding accounts of Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa" and Duke Pearson's "Is That So?" It's a shame that such a valuable document sat in the vaults for so many years, but we can thank Mosaic yet again for rescuing another jazz gem from obscurity."