In What Direction Are You Headed? Joe Farnsworth

• 1 Terra Nova 07:13
• 2 Filters 09:29
• 3 In What Direction Are You Headed 10:33
• 4 Composition 4 05:00
• 5 Anyone but You 07:24
• 6 Safe Corners 06:44
• 7 Bobby No Bags 05:31
• 8 Someday We'll All Be Free 09:55
• Total Runtime 01:01:49

Info for In What Direction Are You Headed?

Drummer Joe Farnsworth sets out on a bold new path in answer to the question IN WHAT DIRECTION ARE YOU HEADED? and features a stellar all-star quintet with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, pianist Julius Rodriguez, and bassist Robert Hurst.

IN WHAT DIRECTION ARE YOU HEADED? marks a turning point in Farnsworth’s career, as he’s assembled a new quintet featuring not his renowned forebears but esteemed talents from his own generation and a younger, rising class. While he has honed his estimable skills behind the kit through decades of work with some of jazz’s greatest elders – iconic names like McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Harold Mabern, Horace Silver, Benny Golson, Cedar Walton, Barry Harris, Curtis Fuller, George Coleman, Johnny Griffin, Lou Donaldson, Cecil Payne, Kenny Barron, and others, in recent years, he’s seen many of his mentors pass away.

“I’ve spent my whole life trying to play with great musicians like Cedar Walton and George Coleman and Harold Mabern, and I have been very fortunate to achieve those goals,” Farnsworth says. “Meanwhile, there are all these guys my age and younger players doing a whole new thing. It’s time for me to take the lessons I’ve learned from those elders and develop my own thing.”

The title track "In What Direction Are You Headed?" provides not only a mission statement for the album but also a bridge between past and future. The bold, determined Harold Mabern composition maintains Farnsworth’s ties to his past while pointing him in a new direction forward. “I knew I had all these great players who would take me to a different place,” he continues. “But the liftoff pad was going to be Harold Mabern, so I knew everything was going to be okay.”

Kurt Rosenwinkel, guitar
Immanuel Wilkins, saxophone
Julius Rodriguez, keyboards
Robert Hurst, bass
Joe Farnsworth, drums

Joe Farnsworth
One of the most highly regarded jazz drummers on the scene today, Joe is known for his blazing speed, precision, musical, and melodic playing.

Born in South Hadley, Massachusetts in 1968, Joe grew up in a musical family; his father was a music educator and he has four older brothers, two of whom became professional musicians.

He studied with Alan Dawson and Arthur Taylor prior to attending and graduating from William Patterson College in New Jersey in 1994 where he began playing with saxophonist, Eric Alexander and guitarist, Peter Bernstein.

Upon moving to New York City, he led the weekend jazz combos at Augie’s (now Smoke Jazz & Supper Club). He performed with Junior Cook, Cecil Payne, John Ore, Big John Patton, Harold Mabern, Eddie Henderson, John Jenkins and his brothers, John and James.

Joseph’s career includes recording over 100 CD’s as leader and side-man, jazz festivals and world tours with Pharaoh Sanders, Horace Silver, Harold Mabern, McCoy Tyner, Cedar Walton, Diana Krall, Benny Golson, George Coleman, Johnny Griffin, Lou Donaldson, Benny Green, Barry Harris, Curtis Fuller to name a few.

He is currently the drummer for McCoy Tyner and a member of the Pharaoh Sanders Quartet, Harold Mabern Trio, and is a founding member of the renowned One for All Quintet.

This album contains no booklet.