Up until recently, the consummate drummer Joe Farnsworth was primarily known as a traditionalist. Yet, he has expanded his palette to include younger musicians with a bent toward the contemporary and improvisation. His latest, and arguably his best album as a leader, The Big Room, deftly balances both of these tendencies with an intergenerational group of players/composers. They are trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, saxophonist Sarah Hanrahan, vibraphonist Joel Ross, pianist Emmett Cohen, and bassist Yasushi Nakamura, with all but Nakamura contributing compositions at Farnsworth’s request.
Farnsworth boasts a resume the envy of many, having played with numerous greats, including Harold Mabern, McCoy Tyner, and Pharoah Sanders, all of whom have since passed away. Farnsworth, taking his cue from Art Blakey and Cedar Walton, decided it was time to start playing with younger musicians. You heard that change on last year’s In What Direction Are You Headed with Kurt Rosenwinkel and, on the youthful side, Immanuel Wilkins and Julius Rodriguez.
The title does not refer to a specific place, but rather in the veteran jazz lexicon, it denotes a level of playing that only the most accomplished musicians reach. It only happens after one has practiced endlessly and learned all the rules and vocabulary, such that they don’t need to ‘think’ anymore. They can play and create naturally. Even the youngest of this group, Hanrahan and Ross, have reached that spiritual dimension. Farnsworth has played frequently with Hanrahan in the past few years, as well as Cohen. This is the first time he’s played with Ross. He’s often worked with Nakamura, and adding the veteran Pelt was a no-brainer.
We’re off and flying with altoist Hanrahan’s “Continuance,” a hard-driving Coltrane-inspired heater with blistering turns from each sextet member. The pace shifts dramatically downward for Ross’s “What Am I Waiting For?,” a contemplative, resonating ballad featuring exceptionally delicate playing from Ross, Hanrahan, Pelt, and Cohen, supported by simpatico brush and cymbal flourishes from the leader. According to Farnsworth, an essential element of “Big Room” mastery is confidently playing the blues, as heard on Pelt’s “All Said and Done,” which naturally features great solos, but Ross and Nakamura especially shine.
The title track truly depicts Farnsworth’s adventurous side as he duets with Ross in spontaneous interplay. As you listen, it’s clear that the two, never having collaborated, bonded quickly. Ross demonstrates his command of the swinging, burning side as well, with his composition “Radical,” which begins and ends with unison horn parts sandwiched between combustible solos from Pelt, Hanrahan, Cohen, and the leader. The album’s lone ballad is Bill Evans’ favorite, “I Fall In Love Too Easily.” Like the Ross ballad, it’s an indication of how beautifully and restrained these elite musicians can play. Center on the gorgeous dialogue between Cohen and Ross, for example. And, Pelt’s tone on trumpet is beyond sublime.
It’s fair to say that no pianist today swings as hard as Emmet Cohen. He and Farnsworth have developed a very special rapport which drives Cohen’s high-spirited, locomotive “You Already Know,’ which, as you’d expect, gives Farnsworth plenty of free rein on the eighths. To close the album, Farnsworth reverts slightly to the ‘old school” Lee Morgan/Harold Mabern “Sidewinder” groove with the soulful strut of “Prime Time,” an excellent vehicle especially for Hanrahan and Pelt.
The concept of “the Big Room” is a testament to these great musicians. Farnsworth says,”…you have to have the courage to walk into a place you’ve never been before.” Not only did these musicians do that, but they delivered with passion and flair.
