My favorite (jazz) album is The Art Farmer Septet (1956 Prestige PRLP 7031 of 1953-54 sessions previously released on 10" disks). It features the arrangements and compositions of Art Farmer, Gigi Gryce and Quincy Jones. It still makes me move and groove, from the first clave click on the steaming hot Afro-Cuban "Mau Mau" all the way through to Gryce's equally toe-tapping "Tiajuana," the playing is absolutely stellar. In addition to Art, Quincy and Gigi, the album offers a rich pallet of master musicians at their prime in a variety of septets: Monk Montgomery, Percy Heath, Art Taylor, Horace Silver, Charlie Rouse, Danny Bank, Oscar Estell, Sonny Johnson and Jimmy Cleveland. Later reissues on CD (the original from '53-'54 is mono) include an additional standard, the lovely "When Your Lover Has Gone." This album has held up since I first purchased and listened to it in 1965 on the Prestige/Status LP ST8278 reissue, Work of Art.
Contact Jon Block on All About Jazz.
Composer, improvising pianist, occassional reviewer "Ancient Victories Folk and Jazz Review." Live in Sausalito, CA.
Contribute to Play This! Recommend a favorite song, album, or performance and we'll share it with your fellow All About Jazz readers. Submit it here.
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
We sent a confirmation message to . Look for it, then click the link to activate your account. If you don’t see the email in your inbox, check your spam, bulk or promotions folder.