THE ART FARMER QUARTET

REVIEW by Willard Manus Concord Records has repackaged two 1980s Art Farmer LPs and released them under the title of ARTistry, THE ART FARMER QUARTET. It's good to hear again Farmer's renditions of such tunes as Red Cross, Summersong, Moose the Moocher, Eclypso and Warm Valley (the original title of the 80s album), if only because they are such splendid examples of the art of the flugelhorn, a brass instrument with a rich, warm sound. Farmer's virtuosity on the flugelhorn is such that he can dazzle you with his lyrical phrasing, cleanly articulated soloing and sudden bursts of fiery intensity. Fine jazz artists that he is, he is greatly aided on these twin CDs by his pianist, Fred Hersch, whose musical gifts easily match his own. A composer too (three of the 14 cuts are his), Hersch's ideas and sensibilities are perfectly suited to Farmer's, and together they make some exquisite music, challenging and pushing each other toward the heights.