Art (album)
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Art is an album by trumpeter Art Farmer, featuring performances recorded in 1960 and originally released on the Argo label.[1]: 18 Farmer stated in 1995 that the album, which consists mainly of ballads, was his favorite.
Background
Farmer was co-founder and co-leader of the Jazztet, which had recorded two albums for Argo, including Big City Sounds on September 16, 19, and 20, 1960.[1]: 6, 18 Two of the members of that sextet – bassist Tommy Williams, and drummer Albert Heath – were retained by Farmer for his recording as leader, and pianist Tommy Flanagan was added, completing the quartet.[1]: 6
Recording and music
The album was recorded immediately after the Big City Sounds sessions – on September 21–23, 1960.[1]: 6 The band did not rehearse the music before recording it.[2]
The music chosen had an "emphasis on less frequently played ballads."[1]: 6 "So Beats My Heart for You" features two solos by Williams.[1]: 6–7 "Goodbye, Old Girl", from the musical Damn Yankees, is played with a "mood of rueful farewell".[1]: 7 The Gershwins' "Who Cares?" and Irving Berlin's "The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me)" are up-tempo numbers.[1]: 7 Benny Golson's "Out of the Past" was intended to sound like a standard, and was first recorded in 1957.[1]: 7 The playing on "Younger Than Springtime" is "impressionistic" and "reflective".[1]: 7 "I'm a Fool to Want You" was described by Nat Hentoff in the original liner notes as "the essence of jazz lyricism – intimacy without self-pity".[1]: 7 "That Ole Devil Called Love" has solos from Farmer and Williams.[1]: 7
Reception
| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz | [4] |
The Allmusic review stated "This series of studio sessions from 1960 [...] find the trumpeter in great form".[3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz described the album as "close to perfect, [...] measured, unflashy but deeply felt".[4]
Speaking in 1995, Farmer stated that Art was his favorite album: "Sometimes things gel, and sometimes things that should gel don't, and nobody can really anticipate it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work. In this case, it worked."[2]
Track listing
- "So Beats My Heart for You" (Pat Ballard, Charles Henderson, Tom Waring) – 4:38
- "Goodbye, Old Girl" (Richard Adler Jerry Ross) – 4:24
- "Who Cares?" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 5:15
- "Out of the Past" (Benny Golson) – 5:20
- "Younger Than Springtime" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) – 5:38
- "The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me)" (Irving Berlin) – 4:06
- "I'm a Fool to Want You" (Joel Herron, Frank Sinatra) – 5:27
- "That Ole Devil Called Love" (Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts) – 4:14
Personnel
Musicians
Production
- Kay Norton – production
- Tommy Nola – recording engineering
- Ernest Fiene – cover art[1]: 6
- Nat Hentoff – liner notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Blumenthal, Bob (2004) In The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet Sessions [CD liner notes]. Mosaic.
- ^ a b "Art Farmer: NEA Jazz Master (1999)" (June 29–30, 1995) Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program NEA Jazz Master interview, p. 79.
- ^ a b Dryden, Ken "Art Farmer: Art". AllMusic. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
- ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (7th ed.). Penguin. p. 536. ISBN 0141014164.