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I've always been a fan. Went looking for interviews, b/c I always like what he had to say, too, in his understated way.
Dug up these---w/Ted Panken (I was pleasantly surprised to see him mentioning George Kelly, a fine but sadly forgotten tenor player-arranger who grew up w/Fats Navarro in Florida. I was lucky to work with George, and Mr. Farmer is correct, he WAS a great guy):
For the 84th Anniversary of Art Farmer’s Birth, A Few Interviews From 1994 | Today Is The Question: Ted Panken on Music, Politics and the ArtsLast edited by fasstrack; 09-22-2017 at 11:55 AM.
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09-22-2017 11:51 AM
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back in the day a friend and I went to catch the Jazztet w/Benny Golson @ a museum.
we got there early when it was empty and decided to peruse the artwork before the show.
we walked around a corner and there was Art, perusing as well.
we had a great conversation for about an hour, very intelligent cat, and the show?, well....
this was a pretty good band too....
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A nice quintet post Jazztette
Nice working quartet..
Last edited by guido5; 09-22-2017 at 12:43 PM.
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That's a still of the late Dennis Irwin, a great bass player that we lost too soon.
I'm towards the end of the 1st interview, and Farmer's insights are really a treat to read. Food for thought...
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opening track from 1979 "reunion" with jim hall...
cheers
ps- good interview!! thanks... always liked ted panken on wkcrLast edited by neatomic; 09-22-2017 at 03:50 PM.
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I love every note Art ever played, but this album is a real treat and a favorite of mine: Art (Art Farmer album) - Wikipedia
Joel, I'll bet you know all these tunes, but I had never heard many of them! This also features the unsung bassist Tommy Williams, who sounds fantastic. Williams apparently got out of music in the 60s and worked at a hardware store in downtown brooklyn (my old neighborhood!), but man, could he play.
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I DON'T know all those tunes! I've never heard So Beats My Heart For You before or since that record, and have never played it. And I think I got the idea for Younger Than Springtime from that record---but when I thought I remembered it well enough I tried to play it with John Webber. He said at one point "Um, I think you made a wrong turn'. Never played that one since, either.
Originally Posted by pcsanwald
The only ones I DO know are Out Of the Past, Who Cares, Best Thing and I'm a Fool (which seems written for me) ...Last edited by fasstrack; 09-22-2017 at 04:41 PM.
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Somehow, this recording didn't click for me compared to, say, Interactions or I Love Sweden. A bit low-key (read: sleepy), and IIRC they almost sound bored. Originally Posted by neatomic
The others are perfection, though...
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"The Best Thing For You" is one of my favorites!
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Jonathan Schwartz somehow dug up a recording of Berlin singing it and played it on his show. Maybe not the best voice technically in life, but the sentiment was sure there. Who knows a song better than its composer? Originally Posted by pcsanwald
My favorite jazz version is Chet Baker's, from (I think) She Was Too Good To Me on CTI. Great record w/Chet in great form and the added bonus of Bob James on Rhodes. Then, of course, Ahmad Jamal's is probably the gold standard...
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one of my favorite trumpeters - 'Modern Art' is a classic album..also 'When Farmer met Gryce' w/'social call'..
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yeah i getcha...its from 1979..cut at electric lady land...steve gadd on drums..so it was trying to fit in a bit with the times...still i think arts flugel out flugels chuck mangione anytime....(no dis to cm intended...his records sold better!) hah Originally Posted by fasstrack
and of course just the sheer magic of farmer and hall...whenever...in that interview you posted, farmers tells of how great it was to work with jim hall...and how jim hall would take a mistake from farmer and work it...till it worked
great interview^
cheers
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It also occurs to me that since I so love the flugel sound of Farmer, Harrell, Davis, Baker et. al I have tried to get that fat sound myself soloing or playing (single-string) melody. You have to play less notes and medium tempos, also space the notes so the full effect of this sound concept can be absorbed by the ear. Your attack also has to be full, loud enough (w/o distortion, of course) and not staccato. I find, too, that it helps to mic the amp on a gig if the venue has the extra mic. Then again, Jim Hall got a big and full sound with the amp not only not miced but with the volume way down. Projection from the instrument itself is the key, I think. An amp does exactly what it was designed to do: amplify and bring out the sound that's already there. Originally Posted by neatomic
If I had it to do over I'd play trumpet with a dark, full sound or flugelhorn. It's so warm and full. Clark Terry was a real virtuoso on flugelhorn, and could play fast and still get that full sound. Cornet can also be dark and less piercing than trumpet. Thad and Nat Adderley----as good as that gets...Last edited by fasstrack; 09-22-2017 at 08:23 PM.
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I used to play with his son, George Farmer, in Vienna. He said Art was one of those brilliant ear players. Didn't understand all those chord symbols. He said he thought George and all of his buddies were geniuses. George was a good bass player, but not what I would call genius level. Me neither.
That said I think Art Farmer was one of the best. I saw him play in SF at Keystone Korner. He was brilliant.
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I believe Jim McNeeley said Stan Getz was the same way. Originally Posted by henryrobinett
Marshall Brown told me year ago that Lester Young told him 'I never let the changes bother what I play'.
I wanna be like Art, Stan and Pres when I grow up...
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Yes. All those guys. Not me. I like knowing what the hell I'm doing. Ear players need to have heard the song before and studied it somewhat. Or if the changes are standard type changes they can predict easily. But it's hard with original music someone jus tbrings to the bandstand, sight unheard. I've played with some great ear players. You can always hear them hunting and pecking through the changes. Can't really relax because they're uncertain.
There's a story I don't remember about Prez at one of those JATP gigs asking the piano player what he's doing and getting very frustrated and angry.
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I didn't mean to say those guys just play by ear. Getz and Farmer could read anything, and they had to understand structure to play the way they did. But I think it's better when the ear at least LEADS. If you mostly look at the changes there's a danger of just running them---the way most guys play anyway.
I like Bill Evans's comment to Marian McPartland: 'Intuition should lead knowledge, but if it's out there on its own you're gonna flounder at some point'...
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Yeah. I think both of them were ear players. I do think they could read anything. That doesn't mean you're not an ear player. And yes, letting your intuition lead is different from what I'm referring to as ear ONLY players. There are players who have no real agreed upon understanding of chords. Obviously, they do somewhere because they play their asses off. But they wouldn't know a C7b9 chord to save their lives, looking at a chart. Bireli is, or was, like that. Holdsworth. Arguably Bird too.
I used to say all that stuff was for people like me, and most of the rest of us, to try and understand what those guys did naturally. They don't need to know. You now? Unless they're playing in someone else's band who makes you sight read a bunch of complicated charts and wants you to solo on these things before taking the recordings home.
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Chet Baker was reported to not be able to read a note---yet he recorded an entire album of difficult music by a 'third-stream' composer whose name I can't recall. I don't care how much of a genius someone is supposed to be, there's no way to do that w/o some technical grasp of what's going on. Maybe it's all BS and he COULD read (and understand harmony and form).
And I heard Red Rodney say in an interview that every time anyone asked Charlie Parker what he was playing he always replied 'Bb7'. I don't believe that either. He had to know SOMETHING, natural genius or no. But I DO agree w/what Rodney said next: 'It's what you got, not how you got it'.
Anyway, people repeat rumors til they become 'fact'---you know how that goes...
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people played music..before they notated it..or theorized it
one of the great things about art is that it can come from any direction...complete heart and soul devoid of any critical thinking..or thru years of theoretical study...you never know
as per chet, i think it was herb alpert who said that chet had the natural ability to play through changes without even knowing what they were and where they were going..a natural, of sorts..certainly one of my fave players ever....not always successful, but his playing often walked a tightrope between brilliance and crash and burn...very captivating
another great trumpet man of similar style was the more obscure 50's nyc trumpeter tony fruscella
cheers
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I used to talk to Red Mitchell on the phone when he came to NY. He was always talking about Tony Fruscella. Thought he was one of the greats...
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great to hear!!! fruscella is long time fave...not many recordings..but immortalized in print by kerouac...who dug him Originally Posted by fasstrack
critical listening of fruscellas playing is just so interesting...multi level player..always very in the moment..changes his course in the blink of an eye..goes somewhwere else..almost sounds like different guys playing..very interesting player..but painfully under recorded..had all the typical problems
cheers
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Nice! Don't forget Freddie Hubbard despite his 70's fusion ventures. Some of the best tone ever on trumpet or flugelhorn.
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I gotta repeat. Reading has nothing to do with it. A lot of people get confused over this. You can not be able to read a note, yet understand chords and harmony, even the chord symbols. I don't know where Chet Baker falls in that. He's legendary in his inability to read. But I don't know whether that extended to his knowledge of chords. Originally Posted by fasstrack
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I heard a story about Getz, some student at a clinic or concert or something asked him about what he played on a ii-V, and he responded "what's a two five?" Originally Posted by fasstrack
I think you're absolutely right that all these players understand the changes and structure at a deep level, but, especially with older cats, they definitely didn't always use or know the language/terminology that we use today.
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