Mellow Brass Beneath the Floorboards
Farmer's flugelhorn floats over a funky, mellow fusion groove that rewards patient listening.
Crawl Space opens with a loose, unhurried groove, and Art Farmer's flugelhorn sits softly on top of it, warm and unforced. The mood is moody but never heavy. Drummer Steve Gadd keeps the pulse steady, and the rhythm section gives the record its shape: it moves at a walking pace in places and loosens into something closer to a slow funk in others. Farmer leans toward lyrical phrasing rather than fireworks, so the listener's attention drifts toward the details, the pauses and the way the horn tucks behind the guitar and keys.
The session brings together a dense group of players. Eric Gale's guitar and Dave Grusin's keyboards give the record a polished, late-seventies fusion sheen, while Jeremy Steig's flute adds a bright, slightly restless color. On Petite Bell, Steig gets genuinely funky, Farmer turns mellow, and Gadd drives them both, which is probably the record's high point. The Bay State Banner singled out that track, and the AllMusic reviewer praised the way the moody music holds one's interest from start to finish.
This is not the place to start with Farmer. His Blue Note and Jazztet work is where his reputation was built, and that is where a new listener should begin. Crawl Space is for someone already comfortable with his playing who wants to hear him inside a smoother, more contemporary setting. It is a solid, pleasant record rather than a landmark, and it shows a different side of a musician better known for hard bop.
Who's playing
Will Leeelectric bass guitar
George Mrazelectric bass guitar
Eric Galeguitar
Jeremy Steigflute
Steve Gadddrums
Dave Grusinkeyboard
Where next?
More by Art Farmer
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