One of the rarer LPs in
Art Farmer's sizable discography is this 1959 studio date for United Artists, whose centerpiece is
Chico O'Farrill's "The Aztec Suite." This long piece has its moments, particularly featuring the trumpeter and solos by unidentified sidemen (it is possible that the tenor saxophonist is
Al Cohn, the conductor of the piece). In spite of the assurances of the uncredited liner notes author who states that "since its introduction, it has become a jazz classic," this suite sounds uneven and rather dated. It isn't clear if
O'Farrill is also the arranger for the shorter tracks on the flip side of the record, though it is very likely. Unfortunately, excessive Latin percussion overwhelms
Irving Berlin's "Heat Wave," while a normally terrific standard, "Alone Together," is rapidly faded at an odd moment.
Dizzy Gillespie's "Woody 'n You" proves to be rather successful, however.
Farmer's own solos tend to be rather brief. It's hard to consider this long unavailable disc to be an essential part of
Art Farmer's career, but collectors who have a compulsive interest in collecting everything may want to hunt auction lists to track down a copy. ~ Ken Dryden