Remembering Art Farmer

[cohens2]

A new website dedicated to trumpeter, flugelhornist, flumpeter Art Farmer has just been launched: http://artfarmer.org. It contains biographical information, a complete discography covering a 50-year recording career, album covers, photos, memorabilia, memories of musician colleagues and others and an extensive bibliography. Please check it out.

2018 will bring the 90th anniversary of Farmer's birth.

[Dan Gould]

A very worthy endeavor and nicely done. And now I'm on the hunt for some Japanese Jazztet releases I had no idea existed.

[mjzee]

Thanks for posting this.  Farmer was always one of my favorites.  That tone!  I had the pleasure of seeing him in concert at Columbia University late in his career (1993?).  I’ll find the discography very useful.

[sidewinder]

I think the only time I caught Art Farmer was as part of a Dizzy Gillespie Legacy/Reunion Big Band. Always been a fan since the early Wardell Gray recordings. Thanks for this link.

[jlhoots]

Modern Art

I had lunch with him & Jim Hall a "million" years ago in New York.

[cohens2]

Super Bad,

Would you like to contribute your memories of the interaction to the website?

Edited January 9, 2018 by cohens2

[Cyril]

Thanks for posting.

[jlhoots]

3 hours ago, cohens2 said:

Super Bad,

Would you like to contribute your memories of the interaction to the website?

It's too long ago to provide anything of great interest.

[Larry Kart]

I heard him with several editions of the Jazztet several times (including when that band was brand new) and later on at the Brown Shoe on Wells St. in Chicago with his quartet with Steve Kuhn, Pete LaRoca, and (I think) Steve Swallow -- the group that made the "Sing To Me Softly of the Blues" (Atlantic).  IIRC, the rhythm section was very interactive (think Joe Henderson's "Basra") , and Art (on flugelhorn throughout I think) was in fine form.

[soulpope]

6 hours ago, cohens2 said:

A new website dedicated to trumpeter, flugelhornist, flumpeter Art Farmer has just been launched: http://artfarmer.org. It contains biographical information, a complete discography covering a 50-year recording career, album covers, photos, memorabilia, memories of musician colleagues and others and an extensive bibliography. Please check it out.

2018 will bring the 90th anniversary of Farmer's birth.

Art Farmer was a great musician  - thnx for sharing ....

[Cyril]

2 hours ago, soulpope said:

Art Farmer was a great musician  - thnx for sharing ....

And once a resident of Vienna....

[Gheorghe]

9 hours ago, Cyril said:

And once a resident of Vienna....

Needless to say I heard him almost every time I could. He performed at least twice a year for several days at Jazzland and I was a regular. I was a youngster in the 70´s and spent most of my money buying records and going to Jazzland. Though I still was quite shy, I asked Art Farmer to sign "To Duke with Love" for me, which he did, asking me "what´s your name" so he even wrote it with a dedication for me !

Great site about him !

There are also famous Art Farmer Quotes. I might add another one. In his book "Worte zur Musik" , Frederick Gulda stated that when he played at Vanguard Art Farmer went up to him and said to him "get that edge off" . Indeed, it happens that people who were not born into jazz and have learned it out of classical music, sometimes are tending to stiff-collared phrases while improvising, it doesn´t "flow" the way it should. That´s what Art Farmer meant....... to get rid of that "edge"

[soulpope]

4 hours ago, Gheorghe said:

Needless to say I heard him almost every time I could. He performed at least twice a year for several days at Jazzland and I was a regular. I was a youngster in the 70´s and spent most of my money buying records and going to Jazzland. Though I still was quite shy, I asked Art Farmer to sign "To Duke with Love" for me, which he did, asking me "what´s your name" so he even wrote it with a dedication for me !

Great site about him !

There are also famous Art Farmer Quotes. I might add another one. In his book "Worte zur Musik" , Frederick Gulda stated that when he played at Vanguard Art Farmer went up to him and said to him "get that edge off" . Indeed, it happens that people who were not born into jazz and have learned it out of classical music, sometimes are tending to stiff-collared phrases while improvising, it doesn´t "flow" the way it should. That´s what Art Farmer meant....... to get rid of that "edge"

Those memories ....

[kh1958]

I heard him live once, at Sweet Basil. He had Jerome Richardson on tenor sax.

[Stereojack]

Art Farmer is one of my all time favorite musicians. I first became aware of him when I saw his quartet with Jim Hall on TV in the early 60's, but the first time I saw him in person was when he was leading a great quintet with Jimmy Heath. I saw that group a couple of times, first when they had Albert Dailey on piano, and later when Cedar Walton was on board. Over the years I caught him a number times, usually leading a quartet. The last time, I think, was at the DeCordova Museum in the early 90's, as part of a memorable series of outdoor concerts that took place there. I remember it was a scalding hot summer day. Everyone, including the band, was sweltering, but the music was magnificent. Art was a true original.

Edited January 10, 2018 by Stereojack
punctuation

[Dan Gould]

Thanks to this site, I've landed a copy of Voices All, a Japan release - maybe the earliest of the reconstituted Jazztet?  With Cedar on piano and covering many of the best Golson compositions:

https://www.discogs.com/Jazztet-Voices-All/release/4680988

 

 

[Peter Friedman]

I saw Art Farmer a few times. Once with the Jazztet, and then much later with his Quintet at the (Colorado) Vail Jazz Party in 1996.

My collection of Art's recordings is very extensive. He was a wonderful jazz musician. 

[soulpope]

2 hours ago, Dan Gould said:

Thanks to this site, I've landed a copy of Voices All, a Japan release - maybe the earliest of the reconstituted Jazztet?  With Cedar on piano and covering many of the best Golson compositions:

https://www.discogs.com/Jazztet-Voices-All/release/4680988

 

 

Nice one - got this as Toshiba EMI vinyl from 1983 ....

Edit : The session was recorded in 1982 and released as the following one

in 1983 ....

Edited January 10, 2018 by soulpope

[cohens2]

Some of you (Soulpope, Stereojack, Gheorghe) are offering recollections that would be great to include in the "memories" section of the new website. You can do this by going to the following link: http://artfarmer.org/contact/

 

[Cyril]

I saw Art Farmer while he was touring with Rein de Graaff (once together with Charles McPherson). I was very young at that time....

[mjzee]

Listening now to this; has some great Art Farmer:

[cohens2]

We are now posting when updates to the Art Farmer Discography are made. These, along with other topics of interest, can be found under NEWS at www.artfarmer.org.

[mjzee]

Would love to hear this:

Date: November 7, 1998
Location: Grosses Festspielhaus, Salzburg, Austria
Label: [television broadcast]
Art Farmer All Star Quintet live in Salzburg

Art Farmer (ldr), Art Farmer (flp), Johnny Griffin (ts), Tommy Flanagan (p), Peter Washington (b), Lewis Nash (d), Vanessa Rubin (v) 

a.		I Mean You - 10:19(Thelonious Monk)
b.		If I Should Lose You - 11:35(Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin)
c.		Stardust - 8:12(Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish)
d.		Surrey with the Fringe on Top - 8:51(Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II)
e.		Caravan - 9:34(Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol, Irving Mills)
f.		Beyond The Bluebird - 6:29(Tommy Flanagan)
g.		Cup Bearers - 9:30(Tom McIntosh)
h.		All Blues - 9:49(Miles Davis)
i.		Lush Life(Billy Strayhorn)
j.		Blue 'n' Boogie - 7:12(Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Paparelli)
k.	inc	Blue Monk - 5:29(Thelonious Monk)

All titles unissued.

Art Farmer (flp) on a, c-d, h-k; Johnny Griffin (ts) on a-b, d, h-k; Vanessa Rubin (v) on h-i.

Solos:
a - Art Farmer (flp); Johnny Griffin (ts); Tommy Flanagan (p); Peter Washington (b); Lewis Nash (d) 8-bar exchanges with Farmer and Griffin; Lewis Nash (d)
b - Johnny Griffin (ts); Tommy Flanagan (p); Peter Washington (b); Johnny Griffin (ts)
c - Art Farmer (flp); Tommy Flanagan (p); Art Farmer (flp) and cadenza
d - Lewis Nash (d) intro; Johnny Griffin (ts); Art Farmer (flp); Tommy Flanagan (p); Lewis Nash (d) exchanges with Farmer and Griffin
e - Tommy Flanagan (p) rubato intro; Tommy Flanagan (p) vamp; Tommy Flanagan (p); Peter Washington (b); Tommy Flanagan (p) 16- and 8-bar exchanges with Nash
f - Tommy Flanagan (p) intro; Tommy Flanagan (p); Peter Washington (b); Tommy Flanagan (p)
g - Tommy Flanagan (p) intro; Tommy Flanagan (p); Peter Washington (b); Tommy Flanagan (p) exchanges with Nash
h - Tommy Flanagan (p) intro in 3/4; Vanessa Rubin (v) in 3/4; Johnny Griffin (ts) in 3/4; Art Farmer (flp) in 3/4; Vanessa Rubin (v) scatting and interpolates "Everyday I Have the Blues," "West Coast Blues" and "CC Rider"
j - Art Farmer (flp); Johnny Griffin (ts); Tommy Flanagan (p); Lewis Nash (d) 12-bar (1 chorus) exchanges with Farmer and Griffin
k - Art Farmer (flp) in progress at start; Peter Washington (b)

Timings shown include applause.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

I saw him on central ave with Frank Morgan! i remember as it was happening being very aware i was seeing art farmer & frank morgan on central ave!

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

so they didnt record together till the 80s but they definetly played togther back in the day on the ave is what i take it