Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » James Farm: James Farm

James Farm: James Farm

By John Kelman
May 3, 2011
View read count

A byproduct of special event programming at jazz festivals is that sometimes lead to greater things. When guitarist

Pat Metheny

guitar
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Pat Metheny reunited with vibraphonist

" data-original-title="" title="">Gary Burton's mid-'70s quartet as part of his By Invitation series at the 2005 Montreal Jazz Festival, there were no plans to tour the world in subsequent years and release Quartet Live (Concord, 2009). When

Joshua Redman

saxophone
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Joshua Redman pulled together a group of friends for his Montreal series in 2009, its future was unclear. But when the saxophonist reconvened the group for a 2010 summer tour, its new, cryptic name reflected a true collective, with no single member at the helm.

A year later, and James Farm's eponymous debut not only confirms the group's egalitarian nature, but positions this ��ber-quartet of established and rising stars as a clear force with which to be reckoned. Redman, pianist

Aaron Parks

piano
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Aaron Parks and bassist

Matt Penman

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Penman each contribute three songs to James Farm, while

Eric Harland

drums
b.1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Harland may only contribute one that, along with Parks' lyrical, folksy "Bijou," represents the album's shortest tracks, but a lot happens in the 4:31 of the drummer's fiery "I-10." A knotty, high velocity theme, over an irregularly metered pulse, leads to Redman's hottest solo of the set, while Parks follows with a brilliantly motivic feature that builds in intensity, only to soar even higher, as the pianist returns briefly to Harland's theme before joining the drummer for a quirky ostinato, driving it to a fever-pitched climax and ending, as Redman's tenor reaches for the stratosphere. It's the closest any acoustic quartet has come to approximating the alt-rock energy of groups like Radiohead.

The rock references continue on Redman's "If By Air," where Parks' introductory blend of Hammond Home Organ and pump organ is redolent of

Soft Machine

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Soft Machine's Third (Sony, 1970)—keyboardist Mike Ratledge's "Out-Bloody-Rageous," specifically—but once the band enters it's back to an all-acoustic environs, with a prismatic solo from Penman who, like Harland, solos less frequently than Parks and Redman, but is no less distinctive for it, or equal in his relevancy to James Farm's sounds.

The quartet's inherent chemistry comes from multiple cross-pollinations of its members, most notably Parks, Harland and Penman as the core of the pianist's stellar Invisible Cinema (Blue Note, 2008), and Redman, Penman and Harland's work with

SFJAZZ Collective

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.2004

" data-original-title="" title="">SFJAZZ Collective, from 2005-2007, a context that encouraged the bassist and drummer to hone their compositional chops to the same level as their already well-established partner.

Whether it's on Penman's foreboding, arpeggio-driven but ultimately tumultuous "Coax," Parks' polyrhythmic, Middle Eastern-tinged "Chronos," or Redman's initially balladic but gradually accelerating "Star Crossed," the interaction is at a mitochondrial level, with an attention to melody and song, even when the context is more challenging. A group of four leaders—Redman the senior, but Harland's recent incendiary debut, Voyager—Live By Night (Space Time, 2010), no less accomplished—could be a recipe for disaster, as James Farm deflects everyone from their own work. But with a collective this vital, there are few who won't be prepared to allow its members to hang around a little longer together, before returning to their individual, equally ascendant careers.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Coax; Polliwog; Bijou; Chronos; Star Crossed; 1981; I-10; Unravel; If By Air; Low Fives.

Personnel

James Farm

band / ensemble / orchestra

Joshua Redman: soprano saxophone (10), tenor saxophone (1-9); Aaron Parks: piano, tack piano (1), Prophet-5 synthesizer (1, 8), pump organ (2), humming (2), Fender Rhodes (4), Hammond Home Organ (4, 9), celeste (8); Matt Penman: bass, whistle (2); Eric Harland: drums, vocalization (7).

Album information

Title: James Farm | Year Released: 2011 | Record Label: Nonesuch Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Wingwalker
< Previous

Partenope
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.