Art Farmer
- Born:
- , Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA
- Died:
- , New York City, New York, USA
- Instrument:
- Trumpet
- Notable collaborations:
- Gigi Gryce, Benny Golson, Jim Hall, Horace Silver, Clifford Brown
- Genres:
- Jazz, Funk / Soul, Latin, Stage & Screen, Blues, Pop, Classical, Rock, Folk, World, & Country, Hip Hop
- Styles:
- Bop, Hard Bop, Big Band, Soul-Jazz, Cool Jazz, Post Bop, Easy Listening, Jazz-Funk, Swing, Contemporary Jazz
Art Farmer is a trumpeter and flugelhornist whose work defined Cool Jazz and Post Bop across five decades. His career shows a clear progression: from early bebop sessions in the late 1940s to co-leading the Jazztet with Benny Golson (1959-1962), which produced essential Modern Jazz recordings, to his adoption of the flugelhorn as his primary instrument in the 1960s—a move that established the instrument’s legitimacy in jazz. His work spans cornerstone labels including Prestige, Contemporary, Atlantic, and CTI Records, and his later European period saw extensive collaborations with international musicians. He was a sought-after collaborator for artists from Gigi Gryce to Jim Hall, appearing on hundreds of sessions throughout his career.
Essential Art Farmer Albums
Modern Art
Art Farmer
1958
Bop
Meet The Jazztet
Art Farmer, Benny Golson, The Jazztet
1960
Hard Bop
Big Blues
Art Farmer, Jim Hall
1979
Contemporary Jazz
Portrait Of Art Farmer
Art Farmer
1958
Hard Bop
Art
Art Farmer
1960
Hard Bop
Gentle Eyes
Art Farmer
1972
Jazz-Funk
Crawl Space
Art Farmer
1977
Contemporary Jazz
Autophysiopsychic
Yusef Lateef, Art Farmer
1977
Fusion
Three Trumpets
Art Farmer, Donald Byrd, Idrees Sulieman
1957
Hard Bop
Bossa Nova York
Sergio Mendes Trio*, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Phil Woods, Art Farmer, Hubert Laws
1964
Similar Artists
Top Labels
| Label | Releases |
|---|---|
| Prestige | 74 |
| Blue Note | 59 |
| ORF | 45 |
| Verve Records | 25 |
| Columbia | 24 |
| Mercury | 21 |
| CTI Records | 19 |
| MPS Records | 18 |
| United Artists Records | 17 |
| Contemporary Records | 16 |
Art Farmer Collaborations
As Leader
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Addison Farmer | Bass | 14 |
| Cedar Walton | Piano | 11 |
| Jim Hall | Guitar | 9 |
| Billy Higgins | Drums | 8 |
| Benny Golson | Tenor Saxophone | 7 |
| Gerry Mulligan | Baritone Saxophone | 6 |
| Sam Jones | Bass | 6 |
| Steve Swallow | Bass | 6 |
| Dave Bailey | Drums | 5 |
| Albert Heath | Drums | 5 |
As Sideman
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Cleveland | Trombone | 37 |
| Robert Politzer | Trumpet | 36 |
| Ernst Lamprecht | Trumpet | 35 |
| Robert Demmer | Trumpet | 35 |
| Hans Salomon | Saxophone | 33 |
| Felix Hanusik | Saxophone | 33 |
| Hans Löw | Saxophone | 33 |
| Peter Klinger | Saxophone | 33 |
| Garney Hicks | Trombone | 33 |
| Roy Deuvall | Trombone | 33 |
Key Personnel
| Person | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Various | Leader | 55 |
| ORF Big Band | Leader | 37 |
| Ira Gitler | Liner Notes | 20 |
| Rudy Van Gelder | Recorded By | 18 |
| Rudy Van Gelder | Lacquer Cut By | 13 |
| Nat Hentoff | Liner Notes | 12 |
| Creed Taylor | Producer | 11 |
| Rudy Van Gelder | Engineer | 10 |
| Quincy Jones | Leader | 10 |
| Alfred Lion | Producer | 10 |
Discography
Total: 534 releases
| Artist | Album | Label | Leader/Sideman | Style | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | Blue Note: Alts 'N Outs | - | Sideman | 2025 | |
| Ron Carter, Art Farmer | Live At Sweet Basil | Arkadia Jazz | Leader | Big Band | 2024 |
| Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combination & Brass | Babo / That Ol' Bus Smell | MPS Records | Sideman | Big Band | 2024 |
| Hank Mobley | Quintet | - | Sideman | 2023 | |
| Gerry Mulligan Quartet | In Concert | SteepleChase | Sideman | Cool Jazz | 2023 |
| Erich Kleinschuster Sextett, Carmell Jones, Slide Hampton, Art Farmer | ORF / 1968-71 | WallenBink | Leader | Modal | 2022 |
| Art Farmer Quartet, Jim Hall | From Sweden With Love - Live | Dragon | Sideman | Bop | 2020 |
| Jackie McLean | Broadcast Tapes | Necromancer | Sideman | 2020 | |
| The Verve Jazz Ensemble | Night Mode | Not On Label (The Verve Jazz Ensemble Self-released) | Sideman | 2019 | |
| Francis Wolff | Jazz Images by Francis Wolff | Elemental Music | Sideman | 2019 | |
| Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer | Gerry Mulligan & Art Farmer | - | Sideman | 2019 | |
| Riccardo Del Fra | Chet Visions | Cristal Records | Sideman | 2019 | |
| Art Farmer, Heikki Sarmanto, Ilkka Willman, Matti Koskiala | Live In Oulu, Finland 1970 | Not On Label | Leader | 2018 | |
| Ryan Griffith | Aspects & Iterations | Not On Label (Ryan Griffith Self-released) | Sideman | Bop | 2018 |
| Oscar Pettiford, Oscar Pettiford Nonet, Oscar Pettiford And His Birdland Band, Oscar Pettiford Sextet | New York City 1955 - 1958 | Uptown Records | Sideman | 2017 | |
| Luigi Butera | Maiden Voyage | musiques modernes | Sideman | 2017 | |
| Harry Sokal | I Remember Art | Alessa Records | Sideman | Hard Bop | 2017 |
| Horace Silver* | Four Classic Albums | - | Sideman | 2017 | |
| John Benson Brooks | Folk Jazz U.S.A. And Alabama Concert | - | Sideman | 2017 | |
| Gerry Mulligan Quartet | Gerry Mulligan '63 Live In Las Vegas | Jazz Rewind Records | Sideman | Cool Jazz | 2016 |
Styles & Genres Distribution
Styles
| Style | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Bop | 96 | 8.2% |
| Hard Bop | 80 | 6.8% |
| Big Band | 72 | 6.1% |
| Soul-Jazz | 49 | 4.2% |
| Cool Jazz | 48 | 4.1% |
| Post Bop | 47 | 4% |
| Easy Listening | 37 | 3.2% |
| Jazz-Funk | 35 | 3% |
| Swing | 32 | 2.7% |
| Contemporary Jazz | 26 | 2.2% |
Genres
| Genre | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz | 446 | 38.1% |
| Funk / Soul | 50 | 4.3% |
| Latin | 39 | 3.3% |
| Stage & Screen | 38 | 3.2% |
| Blues | 13 | 1.1% |
| Pop | 11 | 0.9% |
| Classical | 8 | 0.7% |
| Rock | 8 | 0.7% |
| Folk, World, & Country | 6 | 0.5% |
| Hip Hop | 3 | 0.3% |