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Jazz Articles about Joe Farnsworth
Joe Farnsworth: In What Direction Are You Headed?
by Dave Linn
Joe Farnsworth grew up in a musical family and began playing drums at a young age. He later attended and graduated from William Patterson College in New Jersey, where the staff included Harold Mabern and Cedar Walton, who would prove instrumental in kick-starting his career. He landed a gig with Benny Golson that lasted eight years and went on to become an in-demand name. His style is deeply rooted in the bebop and hard bop traditions, characterized by a driving ...
Continue ReadingMary Stallings: Songs Were Made to Sing
by Dave Linn
One of eleven children, Mary Stallings was born in San Francisco in 1939. In her teens, she began singing in San Francisco night clubs and performed with Ben Webster, Earl Hines, Red Mitchell, Teddy Edwards, and Wes Montgomery. Before graduating from high school, she joined R&B singer Louis Jordan's Tympani Five. In the early '60s, she performed with Dizzy Gillespie at both the Black Hawk nightclub and the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival. Her debut album was Cal Tjader ...
Continue ReadingGeorge Coleman: Live At Smalls Jazz Club
by Jack Bowers
Tenor saxophonist George Coleman, one week past his eighty-seventh birthday when Live at Smalls Jazz Club was recorded in March 2022, has not yielded an inch to Father Time, skating up and down his horn with the awareness and agility of someone many years his junior. It is entirely appropriate that this album should be a part of the Smalls Living Legend series, as Coleman easily qualifies for that honor. Before appraising the music, a brief side ...
Continue ReadingDavid Hazeltine: Blues For Gerry
by Chris May
A longtime member of the Criss Cross family, pianist David Hazeltine began recording for the label in the mid 1990s. Since then he has released around 30 Criss Cross albums, including eight as leader. During this time, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Joe Farnsworth, who complete the trio on Blues For Gerry, have been frequent comrades in arms. Sadly, Criss Cross founder Gerry Teekens passed in 2019. The good news is that his son Jerry has taken ...
Continue ReadingGeorge Coleman: Live At Smalls Jazz Club
by Pierre Giroux
If you are an aficionado of tenor saxophonists with a big, bold, biting tone who can run changes in the blink of an eye, then George Coleman is your man. Now in his 88th year, over the course of his long career, he has had a gamut of experiences including B.B. King (1952/1955-56), Max Roach (1958-59), Slide Hampton (1959-61) and Miles Davis (1963-64). His discography both as a leader/co-leader as well as a sideman covers a panoply of well-known jazz ...
Continue ReadingGabriel Latchin Trio: Viewpoint
by Neil Duggan
British pianist Gabriel Latchin, an artist who at the time of writing has notched up over 30 million streams, brings us his fourth trio album. In contrast to the previous outings, all the compositions here are Latchin originals. His trio is new too. Joining him are two names that bring reassurance whenever one sees them on album credits or live dates, first-rate British bassist Jeremy Brown and renowned New York City drummer Joe Farnsworth. It is fairly rare ...
Continue ReadingDavid Hazeltine: Inversions
by C. Andrew Hovan
It's often said that those with enviable skills make the most sophisticated actions look easy. Be it glass blowing or ice-skating, what appears to be within the grasp of the novice often involves an underlying complexity not readily apparent at first. The same could be said of higher forms of music such as classical and jazz. What might seem simplistic or straightforward on the surface, actually involves a highly refined degree of mastery that's akin to a magician's flick of ...
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