Art (album)

Art is an album by trumpeter Art Farmer, featuring performances recorded in 1960 and originally released on the Argo label.[1]^:18 Farmer stated in 1995 that the album, which consists mainly of ballads, was his favorite.

Art
Studio album by Art Farmer
Released	1961
Recorded	September 21, 22 & 23, 1960 Nola Penthouse Studio, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Length	39:02
Label	Argo LP-678
Producer	Kay Norton
Art Farmer chronology
Big City Sounds (1960) Art (1961) The Jazztet and John Lewis (1961)

Background

Farmer was co-founder and co-leader of the Jazztet, which had recorded two albums for Argo, including Big City Sounds on September 16, 19, and 20, 1960.[1]^{:6, 18} Two of the members of that sextet – bassist Tommy Williams, and drummer Albert Heath – were retained by Farmer for his recording as leader, and pianist Tommy Flanagan was added, completing the quartet.[1]^:6

Recording and music

The album was recorded immediately after the Big City Sounds sessions – on September 21–23, 1960.[1]^:6 The band did not rehearse the music before recording it.[2]

The music chosen had an "emphasis on less frequently played ballads."[1]^:6 "So Beats My Heart for You" features two solos by Williams.[1]^:6–7 "Goodbye, Old Girl", from the musical Damn Yankees, is played with a "mood of rueful farewell".[1]^:7 The Gershwins' "Who Cares?" and Irving Berlin's "The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me)" are up-tempo numbers.[1]^:7 Benny Golson's "Out of the Past" was intended to sound like a standard, and was first recorded in 1957.[1]^:7 The playing on "Younger Than Springtime" is "impressionistic" and "reflective".[1]^:7 "I'm a Fool to Want You" was described by Nat Hentoff in the original liner notes as "the essence of jazz lyricism – intimacy without self-pity".[1]^:7 "That Ole Devil Called Love" has solos from Farmer and Williams.[1]^:7

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	[4]

The Allmusic review stated "This series of studio sessions from 1960 [...] find the trumpeter in great form".[3] The Penguin Guide to Jazz described the album as "close to perfect, [...] measured, unflashy but deeply felt".[4]

Speaking in 1995, Farmer stated that Art was his favorite album: "Sometimes things gel, and sometimes things that should gel don't, and nobody can really anticipate it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work. In this case, it worked."[2]

Track listing

1. "So Beats My Heart for You" (Pat Ballard, Charles Henderson, Tom Waring) – 4:38
2. "Goodbye, Old Girl" (Richard Adler Jerry Ross) – 4:24
3. "Who Cares?" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 5:15
4. "Out of the Past" (Benny Golson) – 5:20
5. "Younger Than Springtime" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers) – 5:38
6. "The Best Thing for You (Would Be Me)" (Irving Berlin) – 4:06
7. "I'm a Fool to Want You" (Joel Herron, Frank Sinatra) – 5:27
8. "That Ole Devil Called Love" (Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts) – 4:14

Personnel

Musicians

• Art Farmer – trumpet
• Tommy Flanagan – piano
• Tommy Williams – bass
• Albert Heath – drums

Production

• Kay Norton – production
• Tommy Nola – recording engineering
• Ernest Fiene – cover art[1]^:6
• Nat Hentoff – liner notes

References

1. Blumenthal, Bob (2004) In The Complete Argo/Mercury Art Farmer/Benny Golson/Jazztet Sessions [CD liner notes]. Mosaic.
2. "Art Farmer: NEA Jazz Master (1999)" (June 29–30, 1995) Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program NEA Jazz Master interview, p. 79.
3. Dryden, Ken "Art Farmer: Art". AllMusic. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
4. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD (7th ed.). Penguin. p. 536. ISBN 0141014164.