One of the best albums ever by this crack soul jazz combo – the mighty Jazztet, an early 60s group led by Art Farmer and Benny Golson! The set was recorded in Chicago, and it features the group hard-grooving through some really well-arranged numbers – lively tunes with a snapping, in-the-pocket kind of groove, played with a lot more soul than you'd expect from either Golson or Farmer's solo albums. The rest of the group's great, too – and features Cedar Walton on piano, Tom McIntosh on trombone, and Albert Heath on drums. A few tracks are nice and long, and titles include "Farmer's Market", "Junction", "November Afternoon", and "Shutterbug". CD

Landmark work by one of the greatest jazz outfits of the early 60s! Art Farmer and Benny Golson were both known as well-composed players during the 50s – strongly soulful, but often with a fine sense of arrangement that usually tended towards the lyrical side of things. With this group, though, they turned that approach towards a heavier sounding style of jazz – tightly stepping soul jazz, in the manner that was being explored at the time by Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakey, and others – presented by Farmer and Golson with a bit more groove and a wonderful kick at the bottom! This album's the first the group cut together – and apart from trumpet by Farmer and tenor by Golson, it also features Curtis Fuller on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Addison Farmer (brother of Art) on bass, and Lex Humphries on drums. Includes the massive original recording of "Killer Joe", which went onto become one of the most recorded jazz standards ever, plus the tracks "Blues March", "Mox Nix", "Park Avenue Petite", and "I Remember Clifford". Perfect tone, perfect groove, and a perfect sound all the way through! CD

One of the most magical records ever from this legendary group – a set that swings as hard and soulfully as some of their previous sessions, yet also has a sharper, more modern vibe as well! Of course, this latter aspect is no surprise – once you realize that a young Grachan Moncur is on trombone – adding his hip horn to the wonderful frontline of Benny Golson on tenor and Art Farmer on trumpet and flugelhorn. And given that the rhythm group also features Harold Mabern on piano, you can bet there's a freshness here that can't be beat – a sound and energy that's kept this one at the top of our stack for many many years. Mabern and Moncur contribute two of the best tracks – "Richie's Dilemma" and "Sonny's Back" – and other titles include "Whisper Not", "Tonk", "Rue Prevail", and "Ruby My Dear". CD

We'll be the first to admit that the piano and compositions of John Lewis can sometimes be a bit stiff and academic – but that's definitely not the case on this great little record! The album features interpretations of Lewis' work by the great Farmer/Golson Jazztet – and is a pretty sweet batch of tracks that adds a lot of the emotion and soul that's usually missing from Lewis' music. Cedar Walton's playing the piano parts, which probably helps the groove a bit, and the group's tight hard sound puts in a "bottom" that you'd hardly hear when listening to John Lewis with the MJQ. In fact, Lewis isn't even on the record – just billed in the title because he contributed the compositions – classics that include "Odds Against Tomorrow", "Bel", "Milano", and "New York 19". LP, Vinyl record album

Landmark work by one of the greatest jazz outfits of the early 60s! Art Farmer and Benny Golson were both known as well-composed players during the 50s – strongly soulful, but often with a fine sense of arrangement that usually tended towards the lyrical side of things. With this group, though, they turned that approach towards a heavier sounding style of jazz – tightly stepping soul jazz, in the manner that was being explored at the time by Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakey, and others – presented by Farmer and Golson with a bit more groove and a wonderful kick at the bottom! This album's the first the group cut together – and apart from trumpet by Farmer and tenor by Golson, it also features Curtis Fuller on trombone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Addison Farmer (brother of Art) on bass, and Lex Humphries on drums. Includes the massive original recording of "Killer Joe", which went onto become one of the most recorded jazz standards ever, plus the tracks "Blues March", "Mox Nix", "Park Avenue Petite", and "I Remember Clifford". Perfect tone, perfect groove, and a perfect sound all the way through! LP, Vinyl record album

Massively soulful, massively stepping – and one of the greatest albums ever from the team of Art Farmer and Benny Golson! The record sparkles with an amazing edge – rhythm totally in place from the trio of Cedar Walton, Tommy Williams, and Albert Heath – and horns braced over the top with a clean-blown sound that's as impeccable as it is soulful! Farmer, Golson, and trombonist Tom McIntosh update the soulfully arranged style that Golson first forged in the 50s – taking it into earthier territory with more of a soul jazz flair, but still allowing for the space and modern edge that made Golson's work noticeable from the start. The album features some great originals, and key takes on jazz standards from the time – an all-great run of titles that includes "The Cool One", "Blues On Down", "Hi Fly", "Bean Bag", and "Con Alma". LP, Vinyl record album

Art Farmer on flugelhorn, Benny Golson on tenor saxophone, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Mickey Tucker on piano, Ray Drummond on bass & Marvin Smitty Smith on drums. CD

Killer grooves from the Jazztet – lean, lanky, and plenty darn soulful! CD

A tremendous comeback for the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet – recording here in the mid 80s with original members Farmer, Golson, and Curtis Fuller – plus tremendous rhythm support from the trio of Mickey Tucker, Ray Drummon, and Marvin Smitty Smith! The session has less of the tightly snapping groove that was the initial Jazztet calling card in the 60s – and comes across with some of the warmer, more chromatic tones that showed up on the group's last few recordings – and even more so in Art Farmer's work for many years to come. Tracks are all longish, and filled with many interesting twists and turns – and overall the album recalls the brilliant economy of Farmer's best work from the period, with some of the subtle soul that made Golson a player to keep an ear on strongly during the 80s. Titles include "From Dream To Dream", "Back To The City", "Vas Simeon", "Write Soon", and "Without Delay/Time Speaks". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite records ever from the legendary Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet – and a rare later date, recorded after their more famous albums for Chess! The lineup here is a bit unusual – in that a young Grachan Moncur III is in the combo on trombone – really adding some deep, soulful tones to the music – in ways that are very different than his famous Blue Note performances – but which really shape the sound of the music here wonderfully! Harold Mabern's on piano – again bringing in a different feel to this record for the group, with some lyrical undercurrents that are beautiful – and the rest of the lineup features Roy McCurdy on drums and Herb Lewis on bass – in addition to the sublime trumpet of Art Farmer and tenor of Benny Golson. Titles include one of the best versions of "Along Came Betty" that we've ever heard – plus the tracks "Domino", "Another Git Together", "Reggie", and "Space Station. LP, Vinyl record album

The stuff of legend – and not just work by the Jazztet combo, but also solo albums from Art Farmer and Benny Golson too! Set includes Jazztet albums Meet The Jazztet, Big City Sounds, Jazztet & John Lewis, Jazztet At Birdhouse, Another Git Together, and Here & Now; Benny Golson albums Turning Point, Free, and Take A Number From 1 to 10; plus Art Farmer albums Art, Listen To Art Farmer, and Perception. CD

A great little album by this wonderful trumpeter – and one that we passed up for years because we were afraid of the words "brass" and "shout" in the title! If you're a Farmer fan, though, don't worry about this being some sort of snoozy "bold n brassy" session – because it's a much more subtle record, and features some excellent lead solos by Farmer, set amidst a larger group arranged wonderfully by Benny Golson! Golson brings a great sense of balance to the album – mixing some larger horn passages with soulfully snapping rhythms, all at a level that still allows plenty of space for Farmer to solo sweetly on trumpet. Other players on the record include Lee Morgan on trumpet and Curtis Fuller on trombone, Percy Heath on bass, and either Philly Joe Jones or Elvin Jones on drums – and titles include "Minor Vamp", "Nica's Dream", "Stella By Starlight", "Moanin", "April In Paris", and "Five Spot After Dark". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal session as a leader by the young Art Farmer – recorded for United Artists, and a great set of tight lyrical tunes, played by Farmer in his sparkling style – in a group along with Benny Golson on tenor and Bill Evans on piano. Evans is a special treat here, as the 1958 session was recorded at a time when he was making a fair bit of appearances in various rhythm sections for horn players (like Miles Davis) – and although this role in Evans' career was a short one, it yielded some amazingly beautiful moments, as you'll hear on this album. Art's brother Addison plays bass, and Dave Bailey rounds out the group on drums. Tracks include "Cold Breeze", "Mox Nix", "Jubilation", and "Fair Weather". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Benny Golson on tenor, Art Farmer on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Geoff Keezer on piano, Dwayne Burno on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums – plus guest vocals from Shirley Horn. CD

A seminal session as a leader by the young Art Farmer – recorded for United Artists, and a great set of tight lyrical tunes, played by Farmer in his sparkling style – in a group along with Benny Golson on tenor and Bill Evans on piano. Evans is a special treat here, as the 1958 session was recorded at a time when he was making a fair bit of appearances in various rhythm sections for horn players (like Miles Davis) – and although this role in Evans' career was a short one, it yielded some amazingly beautiful moments, as you'll hear on this album. Art's brother Addison plays bass, and Dave Bailey rounds out the group on drums. Tracks include "Cold Breeze", "Mox Nix", "Jubilation", and "Fair Weather". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful little chapter in the rich, and all-too-short career of bassist Oscar Pettiford – larger group recordings done for ABC in the mid 50s! The sessions show Pettiford to be surprisingly great at such a format – leading a group through Gigi Gryce arrangements that have a nice modern jazz take on earlier bop themes of the 50s. Gryce himself plays alto on the session, and other players include Jerome Richardson, Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Kenny Dorham, Jimmy Cleveland, Al Grey, Tommy Flanagan, and Lucky Thompson. The CD seems to include material from both Pettiford sessions for ABC – for a total of 17 tracks that include "Two French Fries", "Perdido", "Speculation", "Sunrise Sunset", "Smoke Signal", "Deep Passion", "Nica's Tempo", "Not So Sleepy", "Little Niles", and "Seabreeze". CD

A wonderful album from George Russell – a refreshing change from his overly-academic modernist work – and a brilliant bit of new ideas with some very down to earth expression! The session's an unusual one – a musical portrait of New York City, performed with an all-star cast who really flesh out the ideas in the music – linked together with these fantastic spoken bits by Jon Hendricks – patter about the city and the scene that really make the whole thing come alive! The lineup is virtually a who's who of modern jazz at the moment – John Coltrane and Benny Golson on tenors, Art Farmer on trumpet, Bill Evans on piano, Hal McKusick and Phil Woods on alto, and Max Roach on drums – coming together under some of the clearest leadership that George Russell has ever provided. The whole thing is great – and titles include "Manhattan", "Big City Blues", "Manhattan-Rico", and "A Helluva Town". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes selections by James Moody, Gene Ammons, Clark Terry, Ahmad Jamal, Sonny Stitt, Zoot Sims, Benny Goodman, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Illinois Jacquet, Kenny Burrell, Ramsey Lewis, Roland Kirk, Ira Sullivan, Oliver Nelson, Jack McDuff, Ray Bryant, Art Blakey, Budd Johnson, and John Klemmer. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from George Russell – a refreshing change from his overly-academic modernist work – and a brilliant bit of new ideas with some very down to earth expression! The session's an unusual one – a musical portrait of New York City, performed with an all-star cast who really flesh out the ideas in the music – linked together with these fantastic spoken bits by Jon Hendricks – patter about the city and the scene that really make the whole thing come alive! The lineup is virtually a who's who of modern jazz at the moment – John Coltrane and Benny Golson on tenors, Art Farmer on trumpet, Bill Evans on piano, Hal McKusick and Phil Woods on alto, and Max Roach on drums – coming together under some of the clearest leadership that George Russell has ever provided. The whole thing is great – and titles include "Manhattan", "Big City Blues", "Manhattan-Rico", and "A Helluva Town". CD

A great lost date from the wonderful Gigi Gryce – a set that features the altoist in an sextet, but often swinging with a looser vibe than on some of his better-known albums from the 50s! There's a mix of soulful and modern here that's not unlike the Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet – both players of Gryce's same postwar generation, and coincidentally recording for Mercury at the same time. Although the groove here is definitely different – less emphasis on the bottom, and more on the top – not just Gryce's wonderfully raspy alto, but also the trumpet of Richard Williams too. All other players are great as well – and Eddie Costa brings in some sweet vibes – in a lineup that also features Richard Wyands on piano, and either Reggie Workman or George Duvivier on bass, and either Walter Perkins or Bob Thomas on drums. Tracks include "Reminiscing", "Gee Blues Gee", "Blue Light", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set that features some of the best work that Milt Jackson ever recorded! The 2LP set features tracks from the late 50s sessions Hank Mobley & His All Stars (issued on Blue Note) and Bag's Opus (issued on United Artists), plus a number of tracks from early 50s 10" albums, including ones that came out under Jackson's name or that of Thelonius Monk. Players include Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Tommy Flanagan, Hank Mobley, Horace Silver, and Lou Donaldson – and tracks include "Ill Wind", "Reunion", "Ultramarine", "Blues For Diahann", "Afternoon In Paris", "Lillie", "Tahiti", "What's New", and "Don't Walk". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest Milt Jackson albums ever – thanks to an incredible lineup that features Art Farmer on trumpet and Benny Golson on tenor – both of whom give the record a lot more edge than usual for Jackson! The set's almost a maturation of the earliest modern grooves that Milt forged in his earlier sessions for Blue Note and Prestige – a sound that comes across here with a lot more confidence and focus than some of his 50s Savoy sides – with a sharper, edgier quality that comes from Golson's great arrangements for the record. Milt's vibes have a really chromatic feel here, and a sound that's almost louder than usual – and the rest of the group features Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. Titles include "Blues For Diahann", "I Remember Clifford", "Thinking Of You", and "Whisper Not". CD

One of the greatest Milt Jackson albums ever – thanks to an incredible lineup that features Art Farmer on trumpet and Benny Golson on tenor – both of whom give the record a lot more edge than usual for Jackson! The set's almost a maturation of the earliest modern grooves that Milt forged in his earlier sessions for Blue Note and Prestige – a sound that comes across here with a lot more confidence and focus than some of his 50s Savoy sides – with a sharper, edgier quality that comes from Golson's great arrangements for the record. Milt's vibes have a really chromatic feel here, and a sound that's almost louder than usual – and the rest of the group features Tommy Flanagan on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. Titles include "Blues For Diahann", "I Remember Clifford", "Thinking Of You", and "Whisper Not". LP, Vinyl record album

Features work by Ahmad Jamal, Benny Golson & Art Farmer Jazztet, Al Grey, Lorez Alexandria, Buddy Rich, James Moody, Roland Kirk, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

Pure genius from a great lineup – an assortment of players who've made quite a name recording sets like this one for the Japanese market! Tenorist Eric Alexander is very firmly in place on the set – giving it the same gentle soul and well-crafted sound as his own great albums – and other players include Jim Rotondi on trumpet, David Hazeltine on piano, Joe Farnsworth on drums, and Steve Davis on trombone. The horns in the frontline are beautifully poised throughout – tightly crackling on the head arrangements, then breaking out in soulful solos – in a way that reminds us a lot of some of the legendary work by the Benny Golson-Art Farmer Jazztet. It's no surprise that the group covers the Jazztet standard "Killer Joe" – and the album also features great versions of Duke Pearson's "You Know I Care" and Ahmad Jamal's "Night Mist Blues" – plus originals "Island" and "Hot Sake". CD