[.ca] Farmers Market

Great Pre-Jazztet Farmer:
"Farmer's Market" is a great early look at the trumpeter who co-founded the classic Jazztet with Benny Golson. Art Farmer is joined on this excellent November 1956 set by his brother Addison on bass, Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Kenny Drew on piano and Elvin Jones on drums. The album boasts five original compositions (two by Drew, and one each by Art, Mobley and Art's friend and frequent collaborator Gigi Gryce), and the standard "By Myself." While this is a memorable session, my reason for withholding a fifth star is the disc is not quite as strong as either "When Farmer Met Gryce" or "Modern Art" (see my reviews), which are both uncontested five-star outings. With that being said, it is still well worth your while to shop at the "Farmer's Market."

A Bop Classic:
"Farmer's Market" is a great, somewhat overlooked, bop classic. Superb work on trumpet by Farmer, teamed with the great tenor sax player Hank Mobley, along with some terrific compositions make this a terrific listen. Because he was a contemporary of Cotrane, Mobley is too overlooked by jazz fans, but is making a belated comeback. Teamed at various times with Lee Morgan, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock, or Donald Byrd, Mobley made albums that were nearly as good as the classic Davis/Coltrane teams. Fans of those albums should check this and Mobley's other appearances both as a sideman and as a bandleader out.

• With Prestige
• Ad-Dis-Un
• Farmer's Market
• Reminiscing
• By Myself
• Wailin' with Hank