Art Farmer
- Instrument:
- Trumpet
- Styles:
- Bop, Hard Bop, Big Band, Cool Jazz, Post Bop, Soul-Jazz, Vocal, Contemporary Jazz, Jazz-Funk, Latin Jazz
Best Art Farmer Albums
Leader albums ranked by reissues and demand.
Modern Art
Art Farmer
1958
United Artists Records
Meet The Jazztet
Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Jazztet, The
1960
Argo
Art
Art Farmer
1960
Argo
Portrait Of Art Farmer
Art Farmer
1958
Contemporary Records
Bio
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](/labels/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.
Timeline
Key Art Farmer studio albums by decade, with the labels and styles that define each period.
| Decade | Key albums | Labels | Styles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s |
| Prestige, United Artists Records, Contemporary Records | Bop, Hard Bop, Post Bop |
| 1960s |
| Argo, Mercury | Hard Bop, Big Band |
Albums by Style
Top albums grouped by style.
Bop
Modern Art
Art Farmer
1958
United Artists Records
Hard Bop
Art
Art Farmer
1960
Argo
Meet The Jazztet
Art Farmer
1960
Argo
Portrait Of Art Farmer
Art Farmer
1958
Contemporary Records
Post Bop
Maiden Voyage
Art Farmer
1983
Interface
Similar Artists
Artists with similar styles and catalogs.
Art Farmer Discography
Art Farmer studio albums as leader and sideman.
Total: 205 releases
| Artist | Album | Label | Leader/Sideman | Style | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wardell Gray | Los Angeles All Stars | Prestige | Sideman | Hard Bop | 1953 |
| Quincy Jones, Swedish-American All Stars | Quincy Jones Swedish - American All Stars | Prestige | Sideman | Bop | 1953 |
| The Art Farmer Septet | Work Of Art | Prestige | Sideman | Bop | 1953 |
| Art Farmer Quintet | Art Farmer Quintet | Prestige | Sideman | Bop | 1954 |
| Art Farmer | Art Farmer Plays | Prestige | Leader | Bop | 1955 |
| Art Farmer Quintet, Gigi Gryce | Art Farmer Quintet Volume 2 | Prestige | Sideman | Hard Bop | 1955 |
| Gigi Gryce Octet | Gigi Gryce Octet | Vogue Records | Sideman | Hard Bop | 1955 |
| Wardell Gray | Memorial Volume 2 | Prestige | Sideman | Bop | 1955 |
| Art Farmer, Donald Byrd | 2 Trumpets | Prestige | Leader | Bop | 1956 |
| Art Farmer Quintet, Gigi Gryce | Art Farmer Quintet Featuring Gigi Gryce | Prestige | Sideman | Bop | 1956 |
| Bennie Green, Art Farmer | Bennie Green (With Art Farmer) | Prestige | Leader | Bop | 1956 |
| The Gigi Gryce Orchestra, The Gigi Gryce Quartet | Gigi Gryce · Thelonious Monk · Percy Heath · Art Blakey · Horace Silver · Art Farmer · Kenny Clarke · Cecil Payne · Jimmy Cleveland · Oscar Pettiford · Julius Watkins | Signal | Sideman | Hard Bop | 1956 |
| The Gil Melle Quartet | Gil's Guests | Prestige | Sideman | Bop | 1956 |
| Oscar Pettiford Orchestra | In Hi-Fi | ABC-Paramount | Sideman | Big Band | 1956 |
| Gene Ammons' All Stars | Jammin' With Gene | Prestige | Sideman | Bop | 1956 |
| Earl Coleman | Returns | Prestige | Sideman | 1956 | |
| Mat Mathews | The Modern Art Of Jazz By Mat Mathews | Dawn | Sideman | Cool Jazz | 1956 |
| Sonny Clark | Dial "S" For Sonny | Blue Note | Sideman | Hard Bop | 1957 |
| The Prestige All Stars | Earthy | Prestige | Sideman | Cool Jazz | 1957 |
| Eddie Costa Quintet | Eddie Costa Quintet | Mode Records | Sideman | 1957 |
Art Farmer Collaborations
Players they worked with most often, as leader and as sideman.
As Leader
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Addison Farmer | Bass | 14 |
| Cedar Walton | Piano | 11 |
| Jim Hall | Guitar | 9 |
| Gerry Mulligan | Baritone Saxophone | 8 |
| Billy Higgins | Drums | 8 |
| Dave Bailey | Drums | 7 |
| Benny Golson | Tenor Saxophone | 7 |
| Sam Jones | Bass | 6 |
| Steve Swallow | Bass | 6 |
| Albert Heath | Drums | 5 |
As Sideman
| Musician | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Cleveland | Trombone | 36 |
| Robert Politzer | Trumpet | 36 |
| Ernst Lamprecht | Trumpet | 35 |
| Robert Demmer | Trumpet | 35 |
| Hans Salomon | Saxophone | 34 |
| Felix Hanusik | Saxophone | 34 |
| Hans Löw | Saxophone | 34 |
| Peter Klinger | Saxophone | 34 |
| Garney Hicks | Trombone | 33 |
| Roy Deuvall | Trombone | 33 |
Styles & Genres Distribution
Style and genre mix across their releases.
Styles
| Style | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Bop | 48 | 23.4% |
| Hard Bop | 47 | 22.9% |
| Big Band | 25 | 12.2% |
| Cool Jazz | 21 | 10.2% |
| Post Bop | 21 | 10.2% |
| Soul-Jazz | 14 | 6.8% |
| Vocal | 13 | 6.3% |
| Contemporary Jazz | 13 | 6.3% |
| Jazz-Funk | 10 | 4.9% |
| Latin Jazz | 9 | 4.4% |
Genres
| Genre | Releases | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz | 201 | 98% |
| Funk / Soul | 11 | 5.4% |
| Latin | 8 | 3.9% |
| Pop | 8 | 3.9% |
| Folk | 4 | 2% |
| World | 4 | 2% |
| & Country | 4 | 2% |
| Blues | 4 | 2% |
| Classical | 4 | 2% |
| Rock | 3 | 1.5% |
Top Labels
Labels with the most releases in their catalog.
| Label | Releases |
|---|---|
| Prestige | 19 |
| Blue Note | 10 |
| Contemporary Records | 8 |
| Columbia | 7 |
| Atlantic | 7 |
| Argo | 7 |
| CTI Records | 7 |
| Soul Note | 6 |
| ABC-Paramount | 5 |
| United Artists Records | 5 |
Key Personnel
Frequent producers, engineers, and studio credits.
| Person | Role | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Various | Leader | 53 |
| ORF Big Band | Leader | 37 |
| Ira Gitler | Liner Notes | 21 |
| Rudy Van Gelder | Recorded By | 19 |
| Rudy Van Gelder | Lacquer Cut By | 13 |
| Creed Taylor | Producer | 12 |
| Nat Hentoff | Liner Notes | 12 |
| Rudy Van Gelder | Engineer | 10 |
| Quincy Jones | Leader | 10 |
| Alfred Lion | Producer | 10 |