Name: Something To Live For: The Music Of
Brand: Contemporary
SKU: 120689
Availability: OutOfStock

Something To Live For

Rating

Album: Something To Live For: The Music Of
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Isfahan	More Info...	7:24
2)	Blood Count	More Info...	6:06
3)	Johnny Come Lately	More Info...	5:37
4)	Something To Live For	More Info...	6:05
5)	Upper Manhattan Medical Group	More Info...	7:05
6)	Rain Check	More Info...	6:42
7)	Day Dream	More Info...	5:12

Performer Notes

Personnel: Art Farmer (flugelhorn); Clifford Jordan (tenor saxophone); James Williams (piano); Rufus Reid (bass); Marvin "Smitty" Smith (drums).
Recorded at Secret Sound Studios, New York, New York on January 14 & 15, 1987. Includes liner notes by John Garcia Gensel.
Personnel: Art Farmer (flugelhorn); Clifford Jordan (tenor saxophone); James Williams (piano); Marvin "Smitty" Smith (drums).
Audio Remixer: Danny Kopelson.
Liner Note Author: John Garcia Gensel.
Recording information: Secret Sound Studios, New York, NY (01/14/1987/01/15/1987).
Editor: Danny Kopelson.
Photographer: Nancy Ellison.
Unknown Contributor Roles: James "Diamond" Williams ; Marvin "Smitty" Smith; James Williams .
SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR focuses on the music of Billy Strayhorn, a jazz composer who was principally known for his collaborations with Duke Ellington. Flugelhorn player Art Farmer and company leave off Strayhorn's most famous piece, "Take the 'A' Train," but perform memorable renditions of other fine Strayhorn compositions, including "Johnny Come Lately" and "Isfahan," the latter of which was co-written by Ellington. The title track contains a haunting melody characteristic of Strayhorn's darker side, but Farmer's group gradually shifts from the melancholic to the upbeat as drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith jumps into a double-time rhythm during the solos.
The CD reissue of this 1987 release includes a bonus track of Strayhorn's wistful ballad "Daydream." Overall, Farmer and his ensemble are in fine form on this album, and their playing straddles the line between bebop and "cool" jazz. This is no surprise since, charmingly, Farmer never really did subscribe to any particular school of playing.