Joe Farnsworth: The Big Room

The Big Room is about holding the fort and also about opening doors. Joe Farnsworth has logged time with Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner, and Cedar Walton, but here he calls on the rising generation: alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, vibraphonist Joel Ross, pianist Emmet Cohen, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, and bassist Yasushi Nakamura. Recorded live at Smoke Jazz & Supper Club in January 2025, Farnsworth invites his fellow bandmates to contribute compositions; the album captures an intergenerational sextet that knows how to listen, swing, take risks, and, very clearly, burn down the barn.

Ross's ballad, "What Am I Waiting For?," opens with a harmonically augmented introduction that sets a cinematic mood. This is not a tune built on solos; it is an exercise in collective ballad playing, with every instrument staying close to the theme. Vibes and piano complement each other gorgeously, weaving around the melody rather than stepping out front. Saxophone and trumpet enter quietly, never leaving the song's melodic core. The track evokes film noir and the quiet corners of New York—lush, layered, and deeply felt.

"All Said and Done," is a modern hard-bop masterpiece composed by Pelt. The head-in features syncopated harmonic rhythms played on piano, followed by a theme played in dissonant unison by sax and trumpet, giving the tune an updated edge. The arrangement opens into a blues and a Clifford Brown- esque trumpet by Pelt leads the solo section, followed by saxophone, piano, and finally vibes, which closes with major blues ideas that feel fresh and grounded. This is the sound of musicians who know the tradition and are not afraid to push it forward.

"I Fall in Love Too Easily," is the only standard on the album, this Jule Styne ballad gets a tender approach. Pelt carries the head with a Chet Baker-like lyricism, then opens up with a beautiful trumpet solo. Eight-bar solos follow for vibes and piano, each one ending in bluesy takes that honor the tune's simplicity and emotional core.

Cohen's burner, "You Already Know," clocks in at about two hundred sixty beats per minute, an AABA form minor-key swinger that would make Cedar Walton proud. Cohen's piano solo is filled with eighth-note precision: thoughtful, technical, brilliant. Pelt's trumpet solo follows, then vibes with everyone demonstrating flawless improvisation at breakneck speed. Farnsworth is front and center, driving through syncopation channeled through toms, snare breaks, and chokes on the hi-hat, creating real dynamism. Hanahan's sax solo reaches as high as humanly possible; melodic, angular, and in sharp contrast to the previous solos. Farnsworth's drum solo is wild and frenetic, providing vocabulary for generations. The head out lands right on point.

"The Big Room, the title track, is surprising, open, and breaks all the rules. Drums and vibes dominate, with vibes providing a cloudy, angular drone filled with tritones and diminished flourishes, leading anywhere but home. Who is leading whom? Dynamics are key here. This is Farnsworth and Ross in deep conversation, and the result is free, exploratory, and deeply musical.

For decades, Joe Farnsworth has learned from, played alongside, and honored the architects of this music. The Big Room is where he turns that legacy outward, inviting the next generation to step in, stretch out, and push the conversation forward; and more than merely passing the torch, it is an all-ages call to swing harder, listen deeper, and keep the doors open for whoever's ready to walk through.

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