James Farm is a relatively new quartet whose players have worked together in various groupings and contexts over the course of the last half-decade or so. Best known, of course, is veteran saxophonist
Joshua Redman, who has been a fellow member of the
SF Jazz Collective with drummer
Eric Harland and bassist
Matt Penman. That rhythm section also appeared on pianist
Aaron Parks' stellar
Invisible Cinema in 2008. The tunes feature selections by each member. There are three each from
Redman,
Parks, and
Penman, and one by
Harland. What they have in common is a clearly defined pattern of charting for the ensemble, and each tune makes room for solid exploration by soloists and for seemingly spontaneous group interplay.
Redman's "Polywog" is easily recognizable as post-bop, with its long head, kinetic lyric, and upbeat tempo.
Parks' "Bijou" and "Unravel" are elliptical ballads that could have appeared on
Invisible Cinema: the former, with its lilting, repetitive melody and country-flavored chords, and the latter with its nocturnal blues tinge.
Penman's "1981" features
Parks playing a Prophet-5 synth in a skittering, pulsing, near-rockist piece, in which the bassist/composer and
Harland push the group through several sets of knotty changes. Speaking of which,
Harland's "I-10" is a fine collision course of polyrhythms and harmonic expansiveness; though somewhat brief, it travels -- by way of a sprint -- a long way between head, bridge, and improvisational passages. There's some muscular work by
Redman and intense arpeggiatic exchanges between him and
Parks. The pianist's "Chronos," at just under nine minutes, is the set's longest cut, and the one that offers the most dynamic contrasts: from a brooding, almost ominous piano intro, to an all-out wail by
Redman, with
Harland and
Penman egging him on, to another moody piano shift toward a near pastoral bridge and conclusion.
Parks plays not only piano, but synth and pump organ on the track.
Penman's set closer, "Low Fives," is an impressionistic ballad with subtly inventive cymbal work by
Harland, and
Redman playing the bluesy, low-key melody on soprano.
James Farm offers real compositional depth and spirited, sophisticated improvisation, making for a deeply satisfying listen and a promising debut. ~ Thom Jurek