Addison Gerald Farmer (August 21, 1928,

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha-Council Bluffs Metropolitan Area. It is loc ...

– February 20, 1963, New York City) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

bassist. He was the twin brother of

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doub ...

Early life

Farmer was born an hour after his twin brother, on August 21, 1928, in

, reportedly at 2201 Fourth Avenue.Balliett, Whitney (September 23, 1985) "Profiles: Here and Abroad" ''The New Yorker'', pp. 43–55. Their parents, James Arthur Farmer and Hazel Stewart Farmer, divorced when the boys were four, and their steelworker father was killed in a work accident not long after this.Heckman, Don & Thurber, Jon (October 07, 1999) "Art Farmer: eloquent jazz master of the trumpet and fluegelhorn
''Los Angeles Times''.
/ref>Balliett, Whitney (2006) ''American Musicians II: Seventy-One Portraits in Jazz''. University Press of Mississippi. Addison moved with his grandfather, grandmother, mother, brother and sister to

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

when he was still four."Art Farmer: NEA Jazz Master (1999)" (June 29–30, 1995
Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program NEA Jazz Master interview
/ref> Farmer and his brother moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in 1945, attending the music-oriented Jefferson High School, where they gained music instruction and met other developing musicians such as

Sonny Criss William "Sonny" Criss (23 October 1927 – 19 November 1977) was an American jazz musician. An alto saxophonist of prominence during the bebop era of jazz, he was one of many players influenced by Charlie Parker. Biography William Criss wa ...

Ernie Andrews Ernest Mitchell Andrews Jr. (December 25, 1927 – February 21, 2022) was an American jazz, blues, and pop singer. Life and career Andrews was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Los Angeles, and is said to have been discovered by ...

Big Jay McNeely Cecil James "Big Jay" McNeely (April 29, 1927 – September 16, 2018) was an American rhythm and blues saxophonist. Biography Inspired by Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young, McNeely teamed with his older brother Robert McNeely, who played bar ...

and

Ed Thigpen Edmund Leonard Thigpen (December 28, 1930 – January 13, 2010) was an American jazz drummer, best known for his work with the Oscar Peterson trio from 1959 to 1965. Thigpen also performed with the Billy Taylor trio from 1956 to 1959. Biograp ...

.Bryant, Clora (1998) ''Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles''. University of California Press. The brothers earned money by working in a cold-storage warehouse and by playing professionally. He took bass lessons from

Frederick Zimmermann Frederick Zimmermann (May 18, 1906 – August 3, 1967) was an American double bassist and teacher. He played in the New York Philharmonic from 1930 to 1966 and taught at the Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music, Columbia University, Manha ...

, and studied at

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

and the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in m ...

Career

By late 1945, Farmer was with Johnny Alston and His Orchestra recording for the

Bihari Brothers The Bihari brothers, Lester, Jules, Saul and Joe, were American businessmen of Hungarian Jewish origins. They were the founders of Modern Records in Los Angeles and its subsidiaries, such as Meteor Records, based in Memphis. The Bihari brothers w ...

' Modern Music label, backing Jeanne Demetz and, shortly after, on the

Blue Moon A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: the third of four full moons in a season. The phrase in modern usage has nothing to do with the actual color of the Moon, although a visually blue Moon (the Moon ...

label.Campbell, Robert L.; Pruter, Robert and Büttner, Armin "The King Fleming Discography"
Other band members for those recording dates included

Al "Cake" Wichard Al "Cake" Wichard (born Albert C. Wichard, August 15, 1918 or 1919 — November 14, 1959) was an American blues and jazz drummer, especially active as a recording artist in the late 1940s. Biography He was born in Morrilton, Arkansas, in eith ...

and

King Fleming Walter "King" Fleming (May 4, 1922 – April 1, 2014) was an American jazz pianist and bandleader.Teddy Edwards's band. Farmer played in several groups with his brother, including in ensembles led by

Benny Golson Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/ hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before laun ...

and

Gigi Gryce Gigi Gryce (born George General Grice Jr.; November 28, 1925 – March 14, 1983), later Basheer Qusim, was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist, composer, arranger, and educator. While his performing career was relatively short, ...

. He also played with Mose Allison,

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and B ...

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

, and

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

. He recorded extensively for

Prestige Records Prestige Records is a jazz record company and label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock in New York City which issued recordings in the mainstream, bop, and cool jazz idioms. The company recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz music ...

. Farmer died from sudden unexpected death syndrome on February 20, 1963, in New York City at the age of 34.

Discography

As sideman

With Mose Allison *''

Local Color Local color/colour may refer to: * ''Local Color'' (book), a 1950 note and sketch study by Truman Capote * ''Local Color'' (Mose Allison album), 1958 * ''Local Color'' (University of Northern Iowa Jazz Band One album), 2015 * ''Local Color'' (film ...

'' (Prestige, 1957) *''

Young Man Mose ''Young Man Mose'' is the third album by blues/jazz pianist and vocalist Mose Allison which was recorded in 1958 and released on the Prestige label.Ramblin' with Mose'' (Prestige, 1958) *'' Creek Bank'' (Prestige, 1958) *'' Autumn Song'' (Prestige, 1959) *'' I Don't Worry About a Thing'' (Atlantic, 1962) *''

Swingin' Machine ''Swingin' Machine'' is an album by American pianist, vocalist and composer Mose Allison recorded for the Atlantic label in 1962.Down Home Piano'' (Prestige, 1965) With

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...

*''

All Star Sessions ''All Star Sessions'' is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons recorded between 1950 and 1955 and released on the Prestige label.

'' (Prestige, 1950–55) *''

The Happy Blues ''The Happy Blues'' is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons recorded in 1956 and released on the Prestige label.Bob Brookmeyer Robert Edward "Bob" Brookmeyer (December 19, 1929 – December 15, 2011) was an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of G ...

*'' Kansas City Revisited'' (United Artists, 1958) With Teddy Charles *'' Word from Bird'' (Atlantic, 1957) *'' Coolin''' (New Jazz, 1957) *'' The Prestige Jazz Quartet'' (Prestige, 1957) *'' Jazz In The Garden At The Museum Of Modern Art'' (Warwick, 1960) With

*''

Early Art ''Early Art'' is an album by trumpeter Art Farmer featuring two sessions recorded in 1954 which was originally released on LP on the New Jazz label in the early 1960s.

'' (New Jazz, 1954) *'' When Farmer Met Gryce'' (Prestige, 1954–55) *''

Art Farmer Quintet featuring Gigi Gryce ''Art Farmer Quintet featuring Gigi Gryce'' (also released as ''Evening in Casablanca'') is an album by trumpeter Art Farmer's Quintet featuring saxophonist Gigi Gryce. It was recorded in 1955 and released on the Prestige label.Bennie Green with Art Farmer ''Bennie Green with Art Farmer'' is an album by American trombonist Bennie Green with trumpeter Art Farmer. It was recorded in 1956 and released on the Prestige label.

'' (Prestige, 1956) *''

Farmer's Market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or o ...

'' (Prestige, 1956) *''

Three Trumpets ''Three Trumpets'' is an album by the Prestige All Stars nominally led by trumpeters Art Farmer, Donald Byrd and Idrees Sulieman, recorded in 1957 and released on the New Jazz label.Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop ...

and

Idrees Sulieman Idrees Sulieman (August 7, 1923 – July 23, 2002) was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter. Biography He was born Leonard Graham in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, later changing his name to Idrees Sulieman, after converting to Is ...

*''

Last Night When We Were Young "Last Night When We Were Young" is a 1935 popular song about nostalgia and young love composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Yip Harburg. Arlen regarded it as the favourite of the songs that he had written.Jablonski, Edward (1998). Harold Arlen: ...

'' (ABC-Paramount, 1957) *'' Portrait of Art Farmer'' (Contemporary, 1958) *''

Modern Art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

'' (United Artists, 1958) *'' The Aztec Suite'' (United Artists, 1959) * '' Meet the Jazztet'' (Argo, 1960) - with

With

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 19 ...

and Hampton Hawes *'' Curtis Fuller and Hampton Hawes with French Horns'' (Status, 1957

962 Year 962 ( CMLXII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * December – Arab–Byzantine wars – Sack of Aleppo: A Byzantine e ...

With

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre ...

*'' The Soft Swing'' (Verve, 1957) With

Teo Macero Attilio Joseph "Teo" Macero (October 30, 1925 – February 19, 2008) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. He was a producer at Columbia Records for twenty years. Macero produced Miles Davis' ''Bitches Brew'', and ...

*'' Teo'' (Prestige, 1957) - with the Prestige Jazz Quartet With Sahib Shihab *''

The Jazz We Heard Last Summer ''The Jazz We Heard Last Summer'' is a split album featuring saxophonist Sahib Shihab and flautist Herbie Mann's groups recorded in 1957 for the Savoy label.

'' (Savoy, 1957) With

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

*'' Mal/4: Trio'' (New Jazz, 1958) *'' Impressions'' (New Jazz, 1959) With others *

: ''California Boppin´'' (Fresh Sound, 1957) * Teddy Edwards (Cool 'n Blue, 1946–48)

References

External links

Addison Farmer Addison Gerald Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa – February 20, 1963, New York City) was an American jazz bassist. He was the twin brother of Art Farmer. Early life Farmer was born an hour after his twin brother, on August 21, 1928, ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farmer, Addison 1928 births 1963 deaths People from Council Bluffs, Iowa American jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists Musicians from Iowa Modern Records artists 20th-century American musicians Twin musicians 20th-century double-bassists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians The Jazztet members Jefferson High School (Los Angeles) alumni Juilliard School alumni Manhattan School of Music alumni