Home » Jazz Articles » Joe Farnsworth
Jazz Articles about Joe Farnsworth
Reeds and Deeds: Cookin'
by C. Andrew Hovan
Chances are that if you're reading these notes right now you're more than a bit familiar with the talents of tenor saxophonists Eric Alexander and Grant Stewart and might even have picked up Wailin' (Criss 1258), their first effort together leading a quintet billed as Reeds and Deeds. As such, it would probably be redundant to go into detailed biographical sketches of each of these men. Suffice it to say that Alexander just might be one of the most recorded ...
Continue ReadingOne For All: Blueslike
by C. Andrew Hovan
As the timeworn adage goes, sometimes the best things come from situations where one is asked to function in less than ideal circumstances. When you have little time to analyze things and go with pure instincts, there's an air of veracity and spontaneity to the results that is seldom arrived at by any other means. Although the hard bop collective One For Allhas forged a shared identity through regular gigs and a growing catalog of recordings for several labels, including ...
Continue ReadingOne For All: Live at Smoke Vol.1
by C. Andrew Hovan
Aside from the musical fireworks that make the enclosed sides noteworthy, there are additional factors that mark Live at Smoke as a major event. For one thing, this “on location" recording is one of the rare live dates to grace the Criss Cross catalog. Furthermore, it serves as a perfect summation up to this point of One For All's musical fortunes as heard in the same venue that fostered the ensemble's very formation. Back in the mid-'80s, drummer Joe Farnsworth, ...
Continue ReadingJim Snidero: For All We Know
by Dan McClenaghan
The cover photo on Jim Snidero's For All We Know features the saxophonist holding his horn out in front of his body as if he is offering it to us as a holy relic. Holy it is when he plays it; a relic it is not. The album is Snidero's first recorded offering in a trio setting--sax, bass and drums. No chording instrument. His partners in chordlessness, Peter Washington and Joe Farnsworth--bass and drums, respectively--are a perfect choice, ...
Continue ReadingJoe Farnsworth: Straight From The Soul
by Steven Roby
One of the most highly regarded jazz drummers today, Joe Farnsworth, is known for his blazing speed, precision, and musical and melodic playing. Born in South Hadley, Massachusetts, in 1968, Joe grew up in a musical family; his father was a music educator, and he has four older brothers, two of whom became professional musicians. Joe's career includes recording over 100 albums as a leader and sideman, performing at jazz festivals, and touring the globe with ...
Continue ReadingBernie Senensky: Moment to Moment
by Jack Bowers
Canadian pianist Bernie Senensky's latest album, Moment to Moment, encompasses two quartet sessions recorded almost twenty years apart: the first in 2001, the second (live) in 2020. While the rhythm sections differ on each, the one constant (aside from Senensky) is the acclaimed tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. If you are planning to have only one constant, Alexander is by any measure a superlative choice. Alexander, whose solos are models of creativity and eloquence, seems to light a ...
Continue ReadingBernie Senensky: Moment to Moment
by Pierre Giroux
Bernie Senensky is a nuanced and adaptable pianist. Throughout his career he has shown an unparalleled improvisational approach to the material he chooses that crosses borders and generations. In this current release, entitled Moment to Moment, the music comes from two performance opportunities, from 2001 and 2020, and is anchored simultaneously historically and from the future. Joining Senensky in this back-to-the-future encounter are tenor saxophonist {[Eric Alexander}}, bassists Kieran Overs and Dave Young, as well as drummers Joe Farnsworth and ...
Continue Reading
