Personnel: Art Farmer (trumpet); Benny Golson (tenor saxophone); Bill Evans (piano); Addison Farmer (bass); Dave Bailey (drums).
Producer: Jack Lewis.
Recorded at Nola's Penthouse, New York, New York on September 10, 11 & 14, 1958. Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff.
Coming of age at the dawn of the bebop era, Art Farmer rejected the mechanical playing much of bebop seemed to encourage. Instead, Farmer became known for his warm, fluid tone, and his ability to make the trumpet sing like a tender yet stately baritone voice.
On MODERN ART, Farmer emphasizes style over technique. His lush, lyrical tone is best demonstrated on the jazz classic, "Darn that Dream." On this ballad, Farmer employs a wistful, breathy sound, reflecting the song's doleful mood. Pianist Bill Evans accompanies Farmer using a soft yet nimble approach. Elegant and smooth, Evans uses dissonant chord clusters and hopeful cadences to underscore the song. Other highlights of MODERN LOVE feature tenor man Benny Golson, whose tone and musical concepts are simpatico with Farmer's. On "Like Someone in Love," Golson introduces the melody and improvises using a delicate, breezy tone. After a couple of choruses, Farmer takes over, using, interestingly enough, a bucket mute. The group swings with both authority and subtlety on all eight tracks, making MODERN ART one of the best records of this period.
