Art Farmer
A master of melodic warmth who helped popularize the flugelhorn in jazz, crafting solos of elegant, singing clarity.
1928–1999 (age 71)·American jazz trumpeter·Birthday: August 21·The Silent Generation
Biography
Art Farmer brought a conversational, lyrical voice to the trumpet, a sound so warm and rounded it naturally led him to embrace the flugelhorn as his primary instrument. Born in Iowa and raised in Phoenix and Los Angeles, he and his twin brother, bassist Addison Farmer, formed a profound musical bond from their teens. Moving to New York in the 1950s, Farmer became a sought-after sideman in the hard-swinging bebop scene, playing with giants like Horace Silver and Gerry Mulligan. Dissatisfied with the trumpet's sometimes piercing attack, he found his true tonal identity in the mellower flugelhorn, influencing a generation of players. In 1959, he co-founded the seminal Jazztet with Benny Golson, a group celebrated for its sophisticated compositions and accessible yet deep artistry. Later in life, based in Vienna, he continued to refine his approach, his playing growing ever more distilled and poignant, a testament to a lifelong pursuit of beautiful sound.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Art was born in 1928, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Art Was Born
The biggest hits of 1928
#1 Movie
The Singing Fool
Best Picture
Wings
Art's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1928Born
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1933Started school
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1941Became a teenager
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Could drive
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1946Could vote
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Turned 21
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1958Turned 30
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 40
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 50
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 60
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 70
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
1999Died at 71
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the influential hard bop sextet The Jazztet with saxophonist and composer Benny Golson in 1959.
- Popularized the use of the flugelhorn as a lead instrument in modern jazz, defining its modern voice.
- Recorded the classic album 'Modern Art' in 1958, a landmark session showcasing his lyrical style.
- Was a primary collaborator on saxophonist Sonny Rollins's important 1957 album 'Sonny Rollins, Vol. 2.'
Did You Know?
He played a custom-built instrument called the 'flumpet,' a hybrid of a trumpet and flugelhorn, designed for him by instrument maker David Monette.
He and his identical twin brother, Addison Farmer, often performed and recorded together throughout their careers.
He spent the latter part of his career living and working primarily in Vienna, Austria.
“I'm not interested in just playing a lot of notes. I'm interested in playing notes that mean something.”
