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Art Farmer: Work of Art

By Jon Block
April 2, 2023
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My favorite (jazz) album is The Art Farmer Septet (1956 Prestige PRLP 7031 of 1953-54 sessions previously released on 10" disks). It features the arrangements and compositions of Art Farmer,

Gigi Gryce

saxophone
1927 - 1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Gigi Gryce and

" data-original-title="" title="">Quincy Jones. It still makes me move and groove, from the first clave click on the steaming hot Afro-Cuban "Mau Mau" all the way through to Gryce's equally toe-tapping "Tiajuana," the playing is absolutely stellar. In addition to Art, Quincy and Gigi, the album offers a rich pallet of master musicians at their prime in a variety of septets:

Monk Montgomery

bass
1921 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Monk Montgomery,

Percy Heath

bass, acoustic
1923 - 2005

" data-original-title="" title="">Percy Heath,

Art Taylor

drums
1929 - 1995

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Taylor,

Horace Silver

piano
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Silver,

Charlie Rouse

saxophone, tenor
1924 - 1988

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Rouse,

Danny Bank

saxophone, baritone
1922 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Danny Bank,

Oscar Estell

saxophone, baritone

" data-original-title="" title="">Oscar Estell,

Sonny Johnson

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Johnson and

Jimmy Cleveland

trombone
1926 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Cleveland. Later reissues on CD (the original from '53-'54 is mono) include an additional standard, the lovely "When Your Lover Has Gone." This album has held up since I first purchased and listened to it in 1965 on the Prestige/Status LP ST8278 reissue, Work of Art.

Contact Jon Block on All About Jazz.
Composer, improvising pianist, occassional reviewer "Ancient Victories Folk and Jazz Review." Live in Sausalito, CA.

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