Customer Reviews

The Art Farmer Quintet featuring Gigi Gryce

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Perfect jazz from 1955. I should say only this thing to end my review and it will be more than enough. But nevertheless I want to add something. This album contains only originals no standards here. There's space for some more experiments (in the will to break the 32 bar song form), the music infact is conventional hard bop in some cases and other tunes are instead more adventurous. The opener for example is a devastating hard bop tune penned by Farmer, while all the other tunes are Gryce's. I think noone could resist the beauty, the happyness and the optimism of "Forecast". It's exilarating ! "Evening in Casablanca" is a strange mellow tune, long in its form, that really let you think to Bogey! "Nica's tempo" is another fast swinger even if different in his progression from the common hard bop tunes of the time, you simply have to hear the piano to understand it. "Satellite" has another really nice hard bop theme, similar in its intent to "Forecast" but less catching. Solos ar all over the album really great, you can't go wrong when Farmer take the trumpet seat accompanied by such great musicians. Gryce is a great alto player with a big shining sound somewhat in the tradition of Charlie Parker but still original enough. The rhythm section is Duke Jordan piano, Addison Farmer bass, Philly Jo Jones at the drums. Back to tracks list, "Sans souci" is a latin medium tempo tune with another beautiful theme with a great melody. The album end with "Shabozz". The tune begins with a latin rhythm but soon it became a swinger in the minor mood. For those like me who love fifties jazz this one is a musthave even if the chord progressions are quite strange sometimes but these guys were so big that they could blow over everything. Anyway .. Shabozz!!

The success of Art Farmer and Gigi Gryce's "When Farmer Met Gryce" (see my review) allowed the folks at the Prestige label to follow-up with "The Art Farmer Quintet." The alto-saxophonist again joins the trumpeter on this October 21, 1955 session once more to glowing results. Farmer's brother Addison also makes an encore performance as the recording's bassist, and is additionally joined by pianist Duke Jordan and drummer Philly Joe Jones in fine form. The original compositions -- five penned by Gryce and Jordan's "Forecast" -- are again stellar. Those who enjoyed "meeting" Gryce earlier will certainly enjoy this reunion.