Description by OLDIES.com:
The popularity of the flugelhorn among brass players can be attributed largely to Art Farmer. Farmer was one of the most inventive trumpet and flugelhorn players ever. His playing was quite lyrical, which gave his bebop-oriented style its own personality. During the '50s and '60s he played with a variety of groups, both big and small.
On this pairing you will hear some of his early '60s work with cool-toned guitarist Jim Hall as well as some of his great blues blowing.
Product Description:
2 LPs on 1 CD: INTERACTION (1963)/SING ME SOFTLY THE BLUES (1965).
Includes liner notes by Gene Lees and Herb Wong.
INTERACTION:
Art Farmer Quartet: Art Farmer (flugelhorn); Jim Hall (guitar); Steve Swallow (bass); Walter Perkins (drums).
Originally released on Atlantic (1412).
SONG ME SOFTLY THE BLUES:
Art Farmer Quartet: Art Farmer (flugelhorn); Steve Kuhn (piano); Steve Swallow (bass); Pete La Roca (drums).
Originally released on Atlantic (1442).
Personnel: Art Farmer (flugelhorn); Jim Hall (guitar); Steve Kuhn (piano); Pete La Roca, Walter Perkins (drums).
Liner Note Authors: Gene Lees; Herb Wong.
Recording information: 1963-1965.
This compilation from Collectables restores to circulation two strong Atlantic dates from Art Farmer's immediate post-Jazztet period. One session features Farmer's quartet playing standards with swinging subtlety; the other draws on original writing and has a classic, hard bop feel. Interaction, from 1963, is a vehicle for the intertwining improvisations of guitarist Jim Hall and Farmer, on fl?gelhorn, who weaves through and around Hall's sublimely understated lines with disarming ease, elegance, and sensitivity. Their approach draws to mind the great duet outings Hall made with pianist Bill Evans (Undercurrent and Intermodulation). Bassist Steve Swallow, at this time still strictly an acoustic player, and drummer Walter Perkins are also given lots of the spotlight in a intimate mix that highlights the quartet's telepathic interplay. The only misgiving is some occasional distortion in Hall's and Swallow's parts. Sing Me Softly of the Blues, the more extroverted of these two dates, is a 1965 session, again with Swallow, along with pianist Steve Kuhn and drummer Pete La Roca. Kuhn frequently plays with go-for-broke intensity, his sheer exuberance more than making up for occasional technical lapses. His keyboard-pounding passion is heard to best advantage on the group's version of Carla Bley's "Ad Infinitum." La Roca, in the mold of the best hard bop drummers, plays with drive, intensity, and an ability to nuance and guide the pulse of a tune. Farmer is masterful throughout, transcending the fl?gelhorn's inherent mellowness with a tart, crisp, clean articulation that moves with seemingly, effortless grace through legato passages and more sharply punctuated sections. This compilation can be readily recommended to Farmer's fans and to listeners with an interest in any of the players involved. ~ Jim Todd
