The Lyricists - Benny Golson, Gigi Gryce, Art Farmer (1953 - 1962)

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"Musicians of a gentler, more lyrical bent ... found in hard bop a more congenial climate than bebop had offered: for instance, trumpeter Art Farmer, [and] composers Benny Golson and Gigi Gryce.... In a sense, such musicians were not hard boppers at all. They are, however, partially associated with the movement for two reasons. First, they often performed and recorded with hard boppers. Art Farmer, for example, played in Horace Silver's quintet and with saxophonists Jackie McLean and Jimmy Heath. And second, the very latitude and diversity of hard bop allowed room for their more meditative styles to evolve. Hard bop's slower tempos and simpler melodies also helped, as did the school's overall aesthetic, which favored "saying something" over technical bravado... But the decisive quality they share with each other is their gentle, thoughtful elegance."—David Rosenthal

Rosenthal describes Art Farmer, Benny Golson and Gigi Gryce as "The Lyricists."

Playlist

• Host Intro 0:00
• J.J. Johnson Sextet "Capri" from Eminent JJ Johnson (Blue Note) 3:24
• Clifford Brown Sextet "Hymn of the Orient" from Memorial Album (Blue Note) 7:04
• Host speaks 11:09
• Art Farmer Quintet "Evening in Casablanca" from Art Farmer Quintet Featuring Gigi Gryce (Prestige) 12:55
• Art Farmer Quintet "Nica's Tempo" from Art Farmer Quintet Featuring Gigi Gryce (Prestige) 18:15
• Host speaks 26:03
• Miles Davis Quintet "Stablemates" from Miles (Prestige) 28:42
• Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers "Are You Real?" from Moanin' (Blue Note) 34:02
• Host speaks 38:49
• The Jazztet "Killer Joe" from Meet the Jazztet (Argo) 41:41
• The Jazztet "I Remember Clifford" from Meet the Jazztet (Argo) 46:35
• Host speaks 49:44
• The Jazztet "Whisper Not" from Here and Now (Mercury) 50:49
• Host Outro 56:09

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