Jazz Articles about Joe Farnsworth

Greg Skaff: Ellington Boulevard

by John Kelman
November 3, 2004

Recording studios can be cold and uninviting places. Without the ambience of a live room and an eager audience, some artists are challenged to capture the fire and the energy that results from the feedback of a receptive group of listeners. As wonderful as many studio recordings are, they don't always succeed in portraying what the group is really about. Watching Hudson Music's video of The Peter Erskine Trio Live at Jazz Baltica versus any of the trio's ECM recordings ...

Joe Farnsworth: It's Prime Time

by Terrell Kent Holmes
October 3, 2004

It's Prime Time , by drummer Joe Farnsworth, is an inspired blend of past and present, with a lineup of young lions roaring in the presence of several pantheon-dwelling vets. Their combined talents give this disc, a nod to the hard bop period of the '50s and '60s, a sound that is at once nostalgic and timeless. The opener, “Sweet Poppa," begins with Farnsworth drumming a pedal point intro, followed by tenor man Eric Alexander, who builds a ...

Joe Farnsworth: It's Prime Time

by C. Michael Bailey
October 2, 2004

Veteran drummer Joe Farnsworth figuratively steps from behind his trap kit to lead some of the musicians for whom he has served as rhythm master in the past fifteen years. Farnsworth has attracted much attention from both the old guard and young Turks alike. The former is represented by Harold Mabern, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, and Ron Carter; the latter by Eric Alexander, David Hazeltine, and Jim Rotondi. With a group like this, it is a bit hard to know ...

Mike DiRubbo: Human Spirit

by Russ Musto
January 20, 2004

Alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo's most recent outing for Criss Cross features the Jackie McLean protege in the fast company of trumpeter Jim Rotondi, pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Joe Farnsworth (two thirds of the sextet One For All) in a set that showcases his growing talent and expansive command of the jazz idiom.

Like his mentor, DiRubbo is no run-of-the-mill neo-bopper. He has his own unique sound on the saxophone, which while clearly primarily McLean-influenced, ...

Mike DiRubbo: Human Spirit

by David A. Orthmann
May 17, 2003

On his second Criss Cross release, alto saxophonist Mike DiRubbo thrives on the challenges posed by a great rhythm section. Pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Joe Farnsworth, most notably of the cooperative sextet One For All, have lit a fire under dozens of significant jazz recordings over the past decade. Full of inspired interplay and subtle shifts in emphasis, their concentrated swing supports and provokes the soloist.

Regardless of the material or the tempo, the ...

Steve Davis: Systems Blue

by David A. Orthmann
May 2, 2002

Indicative of formative experiences in the bands of Art Blakey and Jackie McLean, as well as his current association with the cooperative sextet One For All, Steve Davis’ Systems Blue encompasses many of the characteristics of bop and hard bop without sounding stalled in a bygone era. On his fifth date for the Criss Cross label, the trombonist and prolific composer favors selections from the American Popular Songbook. While he frequently alters the forms and harmonic designs in engaging ways, ...

One For All: Live at Smoke, Volume 1

by David A. Orthmann
February 1, 2002

As anyone who frequents jazz clubs will attest, there are nights that live on in memory for years after the last note fades. Aside from basic details easily recalled (personnel, tunes, arrangements, etc.), what really matters is the way the music made us feel. On these rare occasions, the sounds were so potent that, for a time, nothing else mattered and all worldly concerns yielded to the happenings on stage. In search of another incredible experience, we keep coming back ...