Farrell's Tenor Burns Through Martino's Second Statement
A quintet that roars on uptempo bebop, anchored by Farrell's thunderous tenor saxophone.
Pat Martino's second album as a leader, Strings! (1968), works because Joe Farrell brings an aggressive, almost feral energy to what could have been a straightforward hard-bop date. Farrell's tenor saxophone cuts through on the standout track, a long, burning treatment of Gigi Gryce's "Minority," where his solo matches Martino's own flying statements and proves this isn't a guitar showcase pretending to be a group effort. Martino was playing advanced bebop at this point — rapid, clean lines built on harmonic sophistication — but he's smart enough not to dominate. The interplay between guitar and tenor creates actual tension and dialogue, not just alternating solos. Ben Tucker on bass and Walter Perkins on drums lock into the groove hard, especially on the uptempo material, and the addition of Joe Farrell on flute and Ray Appleton and Dave Levin on percussion gives the session texture beyond the standard trio-plus-horn setup. This is a solid mid-career hard-bop date, meaningful without pretending to be more than it is. It sits comfortably in Martino's catalog as a strong second statement rather than a breakthrough, the kind of album that rewards repeated listening for the musical conversations happening across the five players rather than any single moment of genius.
Who's playing
Ben Tuckerbass
Pat Martinoguitar
Joe Farrellflute
Walter Perkinsdrums
Ray Appletonpercussion
Dave Levinpercussion
