Moon Germs [Original recording remastered]

Joe Farrell | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 5, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000630CQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #144,140 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Joe Farrell Takes Flight, March 11, 2002

By 

Henry S. Wright (Washington, DC. E-U) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moon Germs (Audio CD)

For fans of Joe Farrell's work with the first version of Chick Corea's Return to Forever band and Elvin Jones' trio work on Blue Note, this is a real treat. The album finds Farrell at the peak of his powers during his tenure with CTI records. Although CTI did a lot of big productions, this is a quartet album recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey in 1972. The rhythm section is made up of Herbie Hancock on electric piano, Stanley Clarke on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. Fans of Miles Davis' early electric work ( such as "Miles in the Sky" or "Filles de Kilimanjaro") will enjoy this, as will anyone who enjoys fusion in its early experimental phase when funky backbeats were evenly mixed with Coltranesque modal patterns.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You must get this, September 26, 2007

By 

Geoffrey L. Collier (Arlington, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moon Germs (Audio CD)

Relistening to this CD after many years nearly brought tears to my eyes. According to the liner notes that accompany this version of this album, Joe Farrell's name has disappeared more or less into obscurity. That is unfortunate, because in his heyday I would have considered him the equal of other post-Trane hard blowers whose names have outlasted his, e.g. Dave Liebman, Wayne Shorter, Sonny Fortune (has he disappeared too?). This CD burns, as it has four hot musicians in their prime. The tunes are great too. I only noticed the squeaking, commented on by another reviewer, upon relistening after all of these years, but it doesn't bother me. In any case, Herbie Hancock plays less restrained than he did in some of his other outings during this period, and provides some of my favorite solos in this idiom. What is the idiom, anyway? Not really fusion, as their is too much jazz here, although some funk as well (Stanley Clarke plays upright strictly throughout, however). Jack Dejonnette has always been among my favorite drummers, for his aggressive style, and this is no exception. The title tune is a cooking modified minor blues in a modern swing groove with burning solos. And so it goes.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great album...but one problem, June 21, 2006

By 

Rinaldo (Durham, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moon Germs (Audio CD)

I am in agreement with previous reviewers that overall, this is an excellent early fusion album. The quartet is made up of stellar performers: Farrell (almost--see below) at the top of his game on soprano and tenor saxes; Herbie Hancock alternating funkiness and spaciness on Fender Rhodes keyboard; Stanley Clarke's instantly recognizable bass playing; and Jack DeJohnette typically mixing rock, funk and jazz elements in his drumming.

That being said, there is a noticable blemish on this album: Farrell seems to have had serious trouble with his reeds on the day of the recording. His solos flow smoothly with ideas, but his lines are marred with squeaks that can become quite unnerving at times.(Why didn't he switch reeds? Did no one notice the squeaking?) The frequent reed squeaks are all the more bothersome to me considering the otherwise hip playing on this date.

Farrell's squeaks prevent me from giving the album 5 stars. If you can ignore the squeaking saxophone reeds, you're in for a treat. _Moon Germs_ makes for great comparative listening alongside Return to Forever's first 2 albums, as well as Stan Getz's classic album _Captain Marvel_.