Art Farmer - The Complete Albums Collection 1958-1961 (2016) 4CD

Renowned for his uniquely melodic, deeply emotional and characteristically reserved soloing style, the music of Art Farmer has remained deceptively difficult to define. Rising to fame as a trumpeter before moving on to the softer tone of the flugelhorn during the early 1960s, Farmer rejected the typical bright and penetrating sounds utilised by many players at this time, in preference of a more restrained style, also favoured by the likes of Kenny Dorham and even Miles Davis in his earlier work. Although Farmer worked alongside many esteemed musicians and arrangers throughout the 1950s, including George Russell, Quincy Jones and experimental French composer Edgard Varèse, it was as bandleader that he made his most critically-acclaimed and influential recordings. Dubbed by New Yorker jazz critic Whitney Balliett as one of the few genuinely individual modern trumpeters in 1957, the following year saw the release of two of Farmer s finest 1950s albums: Portrait Of Art Farmer (Contemporary, 1958) and Modern Art (United Artists, 1958). Both featured too the talents of Farmer s twin brother Addison on bass, while the latter also claimed appearances from both pianist Bill Evans and - crucially - tenor saxophonist Benny Golson. Having first appeared together on Golson s debut Benny Golson s New York Scene (Contemporary, 1957), this partnership would be one of the most important in the careers of both musicians. Fittingly, both Farmer and Golson appear in A Great Day In Harlem, a 1958 photograph by Art Kane of 57 famous jazz musicians, taken in front of a brownstone town house at 17 East 126th Street, now considered one of the most important images in the history of American jazz. As the decade drew to a close, Farmer began to experiment with much larger groups. This is particularly evident on Brass Shout (United Artists, 1959), which featured Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone and Don Butterfield on tuba, while Golson served as arranger and conductor for the brass ensemble. The Aztec Suite (United Artists, 1959) followed a similar trend, with Addison on bass, Zoot Sims on tenor saxophone, Hank Jones on piano and pioneering Afro-Cuban jazz composer, arranger and conductor Chico O Farrill. In addition, 1961 saw the release of Early Art (New Jazz), a collection of recordings from 1954 that featured the talents of Sonny Rollins, Wynton Kelly and Horace Silver. In November 1959, Farmer and Golson formed and co-led The Jazztet, a rotating group of musicians that would release six albums during their initial three year run. Their first offering, Meet The Jazztet (Argo, 1960), saw the duo backed by Curtis Fuller, Addison Farmer, drummer Lex Humphries and pianist McCoy Tyner in one of his first recording sessions. The album produced the single Killer Joe , which would go on to sell 40,000 copies and thus boost the band s reputation and fortunes enormously. This four disc set, featuring over five hours of music, documents one of the most exciting periods in Art Farmer s career. Included here are eight complete albums from the period 1958 to 1961, faithfully remastered and presented in the finest possible quality to showcase Farmer s exceptional musicianship and skill as bandleader. Boasting too a plethora of appearances from other big names from the late 50s and early 60s jazz community, the result is a captivating listen as the abilities of this master jazz trumpeter are clearly heard to develop across the contents of this selection.