Joe Farrell & Louis Hayes Quartet - Vim 'N' Vigor (1983) FLAC

One should ignore the frivolous cover photos (which show a bikini-clad "Miss Holland" posing with a bass and flexing her muscles) in evaluating this music. Actually, the performances are quite good on what would be Joe Farrell's next-to-last album as a leader. Accompanied by drummer Louis Hayes and a pair of fine Dutch musicians (pianist Rob Van Den Broeck and bassist Harry Emmery), Farrell (who alternates between tenor, soprano and flute) is in surprisingly strong form this late in his life. He stretches out on John Coltrane's "Miles' Mode," two standards (including an abstract version of "Three Little Words") and a pair of his originals. The music ranges from hard bop to post-bop, and throughout, Joe Farrell takes consistently inventive solos. Worth searching for. © Scott Yanow