Art Farmer Septet

Art Farmer & Donald Byrd - 2 Trumpets (1956) {Prestige OJCCD-018-2 rel 1992}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 252 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956, 1992 Prestige Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-018-2
Jazz / Bop / Trumpet

Art and Donald are in fine form, and if there is any competition it serves only to increase the musical yield. Jackie Mclean adds just the right note of astringency and variety of tone. Barrie Harris provides solid foundations for the improvisations while Doug Watkins and Art Taylor maintain impeccable pace. An excellent bop session and two trumpets is just the right number when its Farmer and Byrd.

First time on CD for the album the Many Faces of Art Farmer (1964) plus Mundell Lowe's arrangement of Gershwin's Porgy & Bess (1958) featuring Art Farmer and Ben Webster. On the Many Faces Of…, Farmer surrounded himself with splendid musicians like alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, pianist Tommy Flanagan and bassist Ron Carter. As a bonus to this outstanding LP, we have added another equally rare album. Although this selection of tunes from Gershwin's Porgy & Bess was arranged by guitarist Mundell Lowe and originally released under his name, both Art Farmer and Ben Webster shine on it as featured soloists.

Art Farmer - Art Worker (1968) {2014 Japan Studio Songs Remaster YZSO Series}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 94 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 67 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 159 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1968, 2014 Studio Songs Japan | YZSO-10047 | Mono
Jazz / Bop / Cool / Hard Bop / Trumpet

Art Worker captured trumpeter Art Farmer in an interesting septet setting which sounds like a small big band with two trumpets (Farmer and Ernie Royal), a trombone (Jimmy Cleveland), a saxophone (alto, tenor or baritone by Oscar Estelle). The fine rhythm section comprises of Harld Mabern on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass and Roy McCurdy on drums. Recorded live in Frankfurt in 1968 when Farmer was living in Vienna, the program includes four compositions by Viennese musicians he had come to know: "Erwagung" and "Orientierung" by trombonist Erich Kleinschuster, "Delphine" by reed player Hans Salomon, and "Gradullere" by pianist Fritz Pauer. The other three songs are by Farmer.

Back in the '80s, Paul Murphy developed a cult following as the U.K. DJ who fueled the parties at the WAG Club's Jazz Room. By drawing heavily on the soul-jazz and hard bop records of the '50s and '60s, he developed something of an underground dance craze, one that ran parallel to Northern soul and one that got big enough to attract patrons as prominent as Jerry Dammers of the Specials. A record called The Jazz Club presented highlights from these swinging parties and Murphy continued to DJ outside of the WAG Club, but the trend faded away by the early '90s and, along with it, so did Murphy. Many years later, producer Dean Rudland eventually reconnected with Murphy via Facebook, a rekindling that led to this Ace compilation from 2014. The Return of Jazz Club: Dancefloor Classics from the Original Jazz Dance DJ is a 15-track collection culled from the Prestige and Riverside vaults…

Hal McKusick - The Jazz Workshop (1956) {RCA Victor–BMG Music rel 2001}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 222 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 112 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 43 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1956, 2001 RCA Victor / BMG Music | 74321913522
Jazz / Cool / Saxophone

The cool-toned altoist Hal McKusick was a flexible, if not all that distinctive soloist. He is heard in four settings on this British LP, ranging from a pianoless quartet to a quintet and an octet. Among the supporting cast are trumpeter Art Farmer, guitarist Barry Galbraith, and trombonist Jimmy Cleveland. George Russell (who plays drums on one number) contributed three songs, and the other composers are a who's who of the era: Johnny Mandel, Gil Evans (a version of "Blues for Pablo" that predates Miles Davis' from Miles Ahead), Jimmy Giuffre, Manny Albam, and Al Cohn. Fine modern mainstream music from the mid-'50s, although this album may be difficult to find.

Lucky Thompson & Gigi Gryce - Street Scenes (1993) {RCA–Vogue 74321154672 rec 1953-1956}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 389 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 159 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1953-56, 1993 RCA / Vogue / Disques Vogue | 74321154672 | American Jazz In Paris Series
Jazz / Bebop / Straight-ahead jazz / Saxophone

Tenor saxophonist Lucky Thompson recorded enough material as a leader during the first half of 1956 (mostly in Paris) to fill up 12 LPs. This CD has music from two of his rarer sessions, featuring Thompson playing 12 songs (ten of which are his originals) with a French octet that includes pianist Martial Solal and some fine sidemen; these sessions were last available as the Xanadu LP Brown Rose. Thompson's warm tenor is well showcased at a variety of tempoes during the high-quality music.