Art Farmer Quintet - At Boomers

East Wind Masters Collection

At Boomers is a rollicking good time, in an era when Art Farmer was better known for his balladry than fervent theatrics.

A caveat; At Boomers is a two piece set, recorded May 14 and 15, 1976 at the now-defunct Boomers jazz club on Bleeker Street in Manhattan. Clifford Jordan reunited with Farmer on stage, preceding the work they would do together in the following decade. Cedar Walton sat at the piano during those evenings, with Sam Jones on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Three years earlier, Walton had actually released his own A Night at Boomers, (Muse, 1973) with Sam Jones in attendance at that date as well.

Depending upon the listeners viewpoint, At Boomers does share the same drawback as many live jazz albums. Due to the constraints of vinyl pressings, the two sets aren't presented in their entirety or in the order they likely were played in. Any banter from Farmer is absent. He was a reserved, soft-spoken artist, and likely said little more than the song titles and who composed them. Although unedited performances are somewhat rare, they present the clearest picture of what a jazz band was doing on any particular evening, placing listeners among the crowd rather than in their living rooms. Still, Art Farmer Quintet At Boomers is a fun jam session and a welcome reprieve from his more high-minded endeavors.