Art Farmer - The Complete Albums Collection 1961-1963 (2016) 4CD

1961 saw one of the most important shifts in Art Farmer s career. Having played primarily trumpet up until that point, Farmer switched to the softer tone of the flugelhorn, and for the rest of his life it would remain his instrument of choice. The first recorded instance of this change featured on the album Perception (Argo 1961), featuring Harold Mabern on piano, bassist Tommy Williams and drummer Roy McCurdy. The early 1960s were also a busy time for The Jazztet, a group founded by Farmer and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson in 1959. Featuring a revolving roster of acclaimed jazz musicians, The Jazztet produced half a dozen records during their initial three year run, including the magnificent live set The Jazztet At Birdhouse (Argo, 1961) and Another Git Together (Mercury, 1962) - which also boasted performances from Mabern and McCurdy. On 20th February 1963, Art s twin brother and regular double bassist, Addison Farmer a highly skilled and much loved player in his own right - died suddenly in his sleep at the age of 34, an event that devastated Art and affected him for the rest of his life. Following the disbandment of The Jazztet, Farmer teamed up with esteemed jazz guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Steve Swallow with whom he would go on to release a number of LPs, including the highly-regarded Interaction (Atlantic, 1963) and Live At The Half-Note (Atlantic, 1964). The group toured Europe extensively, with Hall eventually being replaced by pianist Steve Kuhn, with whom the group continued to play Farmer s characteristically reserved and melodic jazz style, during an era when the avant-garde was becoming increasingly popular. Following a US tour with Jimmy Heath in 1966 and a six month residency in the pit orchestra for Elliot Lawrence s Broadway production of The Apple Tree, Farmer permanently settled in Vienna in 1968. He joined the Austrian Radio Orchestra while also playing with other expatriates, such as Dexter Gordon and Ben Webster. However, after becoming dissatisfied with the increasingly mundane and unchallenging style the orchestra performed, and frustrated by the amount of time he was expected to dedicate to such displeasing endeavors, Farmer quit in favour of touring worldwide. A reunion of The Jazztet in 1982 - 20 years since their last album - encouraged Farmer to return to playing in the United States and eventually acquiring a second home in New York. In 1989, he played a major role in the design of the flumpet , a trumpet/flugelhorn hybrid invented by David Monette which allowed more freedom of musical expression. Almost three decades after the death of his brother, Farmer s wife of over 20 years, Mechtilde, died of cancer. Towards the end of his own life Art Farmer still continued to tour however, and he recorded regularly, receiving a number of prestigious accolades. In 1994 he was handed the Austrian Gold Medal of Merit, and later that year a concert in his honour was held at the Alice Tully Hall in New York. In 1999 he was named a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, the highest jazz award available in the United States. In 1998 he had released what would be his final album, Art Farmer Plays Standards (PAO, 1998) and on 4th October 1999, Art Farmer passed away following a heart attack at his Manhattan home, aged 71. This collection is a fitting testament to one of the most defining points in Art Farmer s career. Spread over four discs and containing eight complete albums, this set captures Farmer performing some of his most expressive music, both as band leader and as part of the now legendary Jazztet. In completion, this set presents the perfect introduction to Art Farmer s work with the flugelhorn, a catalogue which to this day sets the standard for this instrument s inclusion in jazz.