Requisites

Mirage ~ Art Farmer Quintet | By Eddie Carter

The word mirage, defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “something that is believed to be true or real but is actually false or unreal.” This morning’s record from the library by The Art Farmer Quintet is an excellent Hard-Bop release that’s certainly not a Mirage (Soul Note SN 1046). This album marked a reunion for the leader and Clifford Jordan. They’d known each other for a long time but only recorded occasionally. The group is Art Farmer on flugelhorn, Clifford Jordan on tenor sax, Fred Hersch on piano, Ray Drummond on double bass, and Akira Tana on drums. My copy is the 1982 Italian Stereo release with a cover variation.

Side One starts with Barbados by Charlie Parker. Akira and Ray bring the song to life with two concise comments that segue into the quintet’s inviting theme. Art opens things up with an easygoing solo. Clifford follows with a few leisurely flowing lines, then Fred concludes with a carefree statement into the closing chorus and fades out. Passos by Fritz Pauer has a Bossa-Nova beat in its structure. The song’s title means “steps” in Portuguese, and the group moves unhurriedly through the melody. Farmer sets the mood with a relaxing solo, followed by Jordan’s laid-back reading. Hersch ends with a delightful interpretation as refreshing as a gentle breeze leading to the ensemble’s exit.

My Kinda Love by Louis Alter and Jo Trent is an old song that the group freshens up with a soothing theme. Jordan’s opening solo is as relaxing as a cup of chamomile tea; then Farmer moves into the next reading with cat-like ease. Hersch follows with a soulful charm next, and Drummond goes for a leisurely walk toward the reprise and close. The title tune, Mirage, is a thoughtfully tender ballad by Fred Hersch that begins Side Two with the quintet’s polite opening chorus. Farmer opens with a deeply lyrical statement that hits the sweet spot. Jordan infuses the second solo with an expressive beauty, and Hersch carries things to a gorgeous climax in an intimate finale.

Cherokee Sketches by Fritz Pauer starts with a melody reminiscent of Thelonious Monk. Art speeds out of the gate like a rocket, then Clifford flies down the road like the Road Runner. Fred shifts into high gear on the following solo. Akira shares the first part of his statement with the front line before embarking on an explosive run ahead of the reprise and exit. Smiling Billy is Jimmy Heath’s tribute to drummer Billy Higgins. It gets underway with the quintet’s lightly swinging melody. Drummond opens with a relaxed statement, and Farmer makes his mark in a gorgeous solo. Jordan succeeds him with a tasty reading; afterward, Hersch has the last word ahead of the theme’s return.

Art Farmer produced Mirage, and Giovanni Bonandrini was the executive producer. Dave Baker was behind the dials of the recording session. The sound quality is excellent, with a superb soundstage that brings the musicians to your listening room in stunning detail. Both front and rear covers also have a nice gloss. If you’re an Art Farmer fan and are in the mood for a Hard-Bop album, I’m pleased to recommend and invite you to consider Mirage by The Art Farmer Quintet on your next vinyl shopping trip. It’s a gorgeous release with an outstanding lineup that will take your breath away each time you listen!

Postscript: A second album cover of Mirage was released in 1982 with two mirror image photos of Art Farmer.

~ Passos – Source: Album liner notes by Ira Gitler
~ Barbados, My Kinda Love – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2023 by Edward Thomas Carter

For the serious collector of jazz… #Jazz #Classic #Collectible #Music #Notorious

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Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Jaimie Breezy Branch was born June 17, 1983 in Huntington, New York and started playing trumpet at age nine. At 14 she moved to Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. She attended the New England Conservatory of Music and after graduating moved back to Chicago and began working as a musician, organizer, and sound engineer on the local music scene. She performed in Chicago and New York with her trio Princess Princess, with bassist Toby Summerfield and drummer Frank Rosaly, and in other trios before founding the band Block and Tackle with Jason Stein, Jeb Bishop, and Jason Roebke.

By 2012 Branch had moved to Baltimore, Maryland where she worked toward a master’s degree in Jazz performance from Towson University. At this time she also founded the record label Pionic Records, which released the music of her group Bomb Shelter. After two years, she dropped out of Towson, and six months later she moved to New York to seek treatment for heroin addiction.

In 2015 Jaimie moved to Brooklyn, New York where she began working with Fred Lonberg-Holm, Mike Pride, Luke Stewart, Jason Nazary, Tcheser Holmes, and many more. In addition, she performed on albums with independent rock groups. In 2017 she released her debut solo album, Fly or Die, with Tomeka Reid, Jason Ajemian, Chad Taylor, Matt Schneider, Ben LaMar Gay, and Josh Berman. Fly or Die was chosen as one of NPR Music’s Top 50 Albums of 2017.

Citing Don Cherry, Axel Dörner, Booker Little, Miles Davis, and Evan Parker among her musical influences. Jaimie Branch transitioned at home in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn on August 22, 2022, at the age of 39.

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THAD JONES LEGACY ORCHESTRA

To mark the 100th birthday of legendary trumpeter Thad Jones, saxophonist Mark Buckingham and the “Thad Jones Legacy Orchestra” will present a variety of tunes to celebrate one of Jazz’s most influential arrangers! Featuring London’s finest Jazz musicians, the band will revisit Thad Jones’s contribution to the Count Basie Orchestra, his own compositions within the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra and the Danish Radio Big Band as well as tributes written in memory of the master by other celebrated composers. From “Shiny Stockings” to “Big Dipper” and “A Child is Born”, expect to hear all the classics as well as some obscure gems!

***Cover does not include fees!

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DJUSO BAROŠ

Listening to trumpet and flugelhorn player Mr. Julius Baroš is a very good opportunity to make your Prague visit an experience. Let yourself be embraced with good jazz and snap your fingers to swinging jazz or ballads, projected by scintillating tones of Mr. Baroš. His playful melodic lines and imaginative improvisation flowing out of his horn and with his excellent backing group will make any jazz standard stomp your feet. Just open your ears and let the music do the rest by joining a jazz cruise along the Vltava River.

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THE SWING QUARTET

The evening features a tribute to the era of American but also Italian swing. Immortal songs such as “Why don’t you do right?”, “On the sunny side of the street” but also “Looking for you”, “Ma l’amore no” and many others, for an evening with an exquisitely vintage flavor.

Tramjazz — Piazza di Porta Maggiore (parking platform, at the tram terminus)

Located at Artour Sas of Rossella Taverna & C. – Via Giorgio Vasari 14, 00196 Rome – P.I. 16376741001.

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