Weekend Extra: Farmer, Konitz, Persson

I have no idea how Sharkey Bonano (see the April 9 item below) felt about Art Farmer's playing or, indeed, whether he was aware of Farmer. They were from different eras and different styles. My guess is that Farmer's lyricism would have appealed to Bonano, whose own playing carried a trace of Bix Beiderbecke DNA.

In this video from a 1966 program on the Dutch TV station NCRV, Farmer collaborates on “Just Friends" with alto saxophonist Lee Konitz and the Swedish trombonist Ake Persson. The rhythm section is pianist Pim Jacobs' trio, with Stu Martin on drums. We don't see the bassist, but most likely he is Ruud Jacobs, his brother's more or less constant sideman during this period. The date was under Oliver Nelson's leadership. Near the end of the performance, we catch a glimpse of Nelson and his tenor saxophone.