A Minor Blues – 1981
Lee Konitz-Art Farmer Quintet
A rare meeting between two all-time greats
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Altoist Lee Konitz and flugelhornist Art Farmer rarely performed together despite having complementary styles as forward-looking cool bop players, and being active during the same half-century.
Their only joint recordings were appearing on a broadcast with Elliot Lawrence in 1958 and on a few titles with singer Rita Reys in 1965.
However in 1981 they were teamed together for an all-star group at a jazz festival in Nice, France, co-leading a quintet also including pianist Ross Tompkins, bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Shelly Manne.
Fortunately they were filmed by an audience member.
On “A Minor Blues,” Farmer and Konitz both take fine solos as does Tompkins and Hinton, and they have chorus-long tradeoffs with Manne, giving one an opportunity to see the two horn greats sharing the bandstand.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald