2 of
Art Farmer's best 60s albums – back to back on one CD! Both albums feature the flugelhorn work of
Farmer alongside mellow guitar work from
Jim Hall, bass by Steve Swallow, and drums by either Walter Perkins or Pete La Roca. There's a spare brilliance to both albums – a sense of space, sound, and timing that is simply magical – modern, but never abrasive, and done in a spirit that's clearly influenced by the late 50s experiments of Jimmy Guiffre, but which also has more of a swinging center. The work of
Hall is incredible in a setting like this, and Swallow's round, circular work on the bass seems to even further widen the center of the sound – letting both
Jim and
Art stretch out magically. To Sweden With Love features newly arranged versions of older Swedish tunes – including "Visa Vid Midsommartid", "Va Da Du", "De Salde Sina Hemman", and "Och Hor Du Unga Dora" – and Live At The Half Note includes the tunes "Swing Spring", "What's New", "I Want To Be Happy", "Stompin At The Savoy", and "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You".