Strandberg's Touch: A Farmer Session in Sweden
Farmer's flugelhorn floats over Strandberg's lyrical piano, neither rushing, both listening.
What makes this session distinctive is Göran Strandberg's piano. Farmer had recorded plenty by 1974, working in New York with all manner of accompanists, but here he's paired with a Swedish pianist whose approach is unhurried and melodically direct — no showboating, no chromatic runs for their own sake. Strandberg plays like he's composing every phrase as it happens, and Farmer responds by settling into his flugelhorn tone, warm and conversational rather than assertive. The rhythm section — Red Mitchell on bass, Tony Inzalaco and Island Östlund on drums, with Janne Schaffer on guitar and Louis "Sabu" Martinez adding percussion — holds space without crowding, letting the front line breathe.
This is the kind of album that reveals itself slowly. There's no urgency here, no one trying to prove anything. Farmer was deep into his career by this point, and he sounds completely at ease — the flugelhorn in particular has a burnished quality that suits the intimate scale of the group. Strandberg never oversells a moment; his comping is spare and his solos are built from simple ideas, repeated and turned over until they reveal new angles. It's economical playing, which might sound austere on paper but lands as generous in practice.
The record exists in that middle ground where it's neither Farmer's most celebrated work nor overlooked — it's a solid professional session with real chemistry, the kind of album that matters most to people who actually listen to jazz regularly rather than casually. If you know Farmer's American recordings and want to hear him in a different light, this Swedish date offers something genuine: just five musicians with nothing to prove and time to think.
Who's playing
Red Mitchelldouble bass
Göran Strandbergpiano
Janne Schafferguitar
Art Farmerflugelhorn, trumpet
Tony Inzalacodrums
Island Östlunddrums
Louis “Sabu” Martinezpercussion
Where next?
More by Art Farmer
All 32 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
