Joseph Carl Firrantello (December 16, 1937 – January 10, 1986), known as Joe Farrell, 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 ...

multi-instrumentalist who primarily performed as a saxophonist and flutist. He is best known for a series of albums under his own name on the CTI record label and for playing in the initial incarnation of Chick Corea's

Return to Forever Return to Forever was an American jazz fusion band that was founded by pianist Chick Corea in 1972. The band has had many members, with the only consistent bandmate of Corea's being bassist Stanley Clarke. Along with Weather Report, The Headhu ...

Early life and education

Farrell was born in

Chicago Heights, Illinois Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 census. In earlier years, Chicago Heights was nicknamed "The Crossroads of the Nation". Currently, it is nicknamed "The Heights". Geogra ...

. As a child, Farrell began playing the flute and clarinet. After graduating from the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

in 1959, he moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

to work as a freelance musician.

Career

He joined the

Ralph Marterie Ralph Marterie (24 December 1914 – 10 October 1978) was an Italian big-band leader born in Acerra (near Naples), Italy. Life and career Marterie first played professionally at age 14 in Chicago. In the 1940s, he played trumpet for various b ...

Band in 1957 and later played with Maynard Ferguson and The Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra. He also recorded with Charles Mingus, Andrew Hill,

Jaki Byard John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for hi ...

, Players Association and

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

. After the death of

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

, Elvin Jones formed a pianoless trio with Jimmy Garrison and Farrell, recording two albums for Blue Note in 1968. In the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, Farrell performed with Chick Corea and

. He is the flutist in Corea's most famous work "

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

," which is considered to be a modern jazz standard. He did numerous sessions and contributed a flute solo to Aretha Franklin's 1973 hit "

Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" is a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version was not released as a single and did not appe ...

". The Santana track "When I Look into Your Eyes" (from ''

Welcome A welcome is a kind of greeting designed to introduce a person to a new place or situation, and to make them feel at ease. The term can similarly be used to describe the feeling of being accepted on the part of the new person. In some context ...

973 Year 973 ( CMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – The Byzantine army, led by General Melias (Domestic of the S ...

includes prominent flute solos from Farrell. During this period, he also contributed

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

and

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

solos to

Hall & Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...

' '' Abandoned Luncheonette'' (1973). Some of the most famous funk singles of James Brown feature Farrell as a part of the horn section. In 1976, Joe recorded a duo album with

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

called '' Benson & Farrell'' on CTI Records. Farrell recorded '' Flute Talk'' with Sam Most in 1979, which was billed as a duet of the world's two greatest jazz flutists. Farrell performs with Brazilian percussionist

Airto Airto Guimorvan Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. He is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. Coming to prominence in the late 1960s as a member of the B ...

and Airto's wife Flora Purim on the album ''Three-Way Mirror''. A message on the CD jacket dedicates the 1987 album to Farrell and states it contains his final recordings.

Death

Farrell died of

myelodysplastic syndrome A myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is one of a group of cancers in which immature blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature, and as a result, do not develop into healthy blood cells. Early on, no symptoms typically are seen. Later, symptoms may ...

(MDS) in

Duarte, California Duarte () is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 21,727. It is bounded to the north by the San Gabriel Mountains, to the north and west by the cities of Bradbury and Monrovia, ...

on January 10, 1986 at the age of 48.

Legacy

In 2008, Farrell's daughter Kathleen Firrantello filed a lawsuit against rappers

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), better known by his stage name Method Man, is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is known as a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He is also half of ...

, Redman and Common, and their respective record labels, for allegedly using portions of Farrell's 1974 musical composition "Upon This Rock" in their songs without approval. Firrantello was seeking punitive damages of at least US$1 million and asked that no further copies of the songs be made, sold or performed.

Discography

As leader

* 1967: ''Jazz for a Sunday Afternoon (Live at the Village Vanguard)'' with Chick Corea, others ( Solid State) * 1970: '' Joe Farrell Quartet'' with Chick Corea, John McLaughlin ( CTI) * 1971: '' Outback'' (CTI) * 1972: '' Moon Germs'' (CTI) * 1973: '' Penny Arcade'' (CTI) * 1974: '' Upon This Rock'' (CTI) * 1975: '' Canned Funk'' (CTI) * 1976: '' Benson & Farrell'' with

(CTI) * 1977: ''La Catedral Y El Toro'' (

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

) * 1978: '' Night Dancing'' (Warner Bros.) * 1979: '' Skate Board Park'' ( Xanadu) * 1980: '' Sonic Text'' (

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

) * 1980: ''Farrell's Inferno'' (Contemporary) * 1982: ''Darn That Dream'' (Quartet/Quintet with Art Pepper, George Cables, Tony Dumas, John Dentz) (Real Time; reissue: Drive Archive) * 1983: ''Vim 'n' Vigor'' with

Louis Hayes Louis Hayes (born May 31, 1937) is an American jazz drummer and band leader. He was with McCoy Tyner's trio for more than three years. Since 1989 he has led his own band, and together with Vincent Herring formed the Cannonball Legacy Band. He ...

( Timeless) * 1985: ''Clark Woodard and Joe Farrell'' with Clark Woodard (BCS) * 1985: ''Three-Way Mirror'' with Airto Moreira, Flora Purim (Reference Recordings)

As sideman

With Mose Allison *'' Hello There, Universe'' (Atlantic, 1970) *'' Your Mind Is on Vacation'' (Atlantic, 1976) With Patti Austin *'' End of a Rainbow'' (CTI, 1976) With

Average White Band The Average White Band (also known as AWB) are a Scottish funk and R&B band that had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They are best known for their million-selling instrumental track " Pick Up the Pieces", and their album ...

* '' AWB'' (Atlantic, 1974) With The Band * '' Rock of Ages'' (Capitol, 1972) With Ray Barreto * ''La Cuna'' (CTI, 1979

981 Year 981 ( CMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events Births * Abu'l-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Maghribi, Arab statesman (d. 1027) * Giovanni Orseolo, Venetian ...

With the Bee Gees *'' Main Course'' (RSO, 1975) With

*'' Tell It Like It Is'' (A&M/CTI, 1969) *'' Good King Bad'' (CTI, 1975) With Willie Bobo *'' Bobo's Beat'' (Roulette, 1962) With Frank Butler *'' Wheelin' and Dealin''' (Xanadu, 1978) With

* '' Jaki Byard Quartet Live!'' (Prestige, 1965) * '' The Last from Lennie's'' (Prestige, 1965 003 With George Cables *''

Circle A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is con ...

'' (Contemporary, 1979

985 Year 985 ( CMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Henry II (the Wrangler) is restored as duke of Bavaria by Empress Theoph ...

With

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the ''Mode ...

* ''

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...

'' (Atlantic, 1973) With Chick Corea /

* '' Tones for Joan's Bones'' (Vortex, 1966) * ''

'' (ECM, 1972) * ''

Light as a Feather ''Light as a Feather'' is the second studio album by jazz fusion band Return to Forever led by pianist Chick Corea. Content The style of the music remains mostly the same as the first album, though vocals were given a larger role. Corea pro ...

'' (Polydor, 1972) * '' The Leprechaun'' (Polydor, 1976) * '' Musicmagic'' (Columbia, 1977) * '' Live'' (Columbia, 1977) * '' The Mad Hatter'' (Polydor, 1978) * ''

Secret Agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

'' (Polydor, 1978) * '' Friends'' (Polydor, 1978) * '' Tap Step'' (Warner Bros., 1980) With

Lou Donaldson Lou Donaldson (born November 1, 1926) is an American retired jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop ...

* '' Sophisticated Lou'' (Blue Note, 1973) With Maynard Ferguson *'' Newport Suite'' (Roulette, 1960) *''

Let's Face the Music and Dance "Let's Face the Music and Dance" is a song written in 1936 by Irving Berlin for the film ''Follow the Fleet'', where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and featured in a celebrated dance duet with Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The jazz song has als ...

'' (Roulette, 1960) * '' Maynard '61'' (Roulette, 1961) *'' Double Exposure'' with Chris Connor (Atlantic, 1961) *'' Two's Company'' with Chris Connor (Roulette, 1961) * '' Maynard '64'' (Roulette, 1959–1962 963 note: 1 track only * '' ''Primal Scream'''' (Columbia, 1976) * '' ''Conquistador'''' (Columbia, 1977) With Aretha Franklin *'' Let Me in Your Life'' (Atlantic, 1973) With Fuse One * ''Fuse One'' (CTI, 1980) With

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Recording prolifically for Blue Note Records as both leader and sideman, Green performed in the hard bop, soul jazz, bebop, and Latin-tinged idioms ...

* '' The Main Attraction'' (Kudu, 1976) With Urbie Green *'' The Fox'' (CTI, 1976) ;With

Bobby Hackett Robert Leo Hackett (January 31, 1915 – June 7, 1976) was an American jazz musician who played trumpet, cornet, and guitar with the bands of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Hackett was a featured soloist o ...

*'' Creole Cookin''' (Verve, 1967) With Slide Hampton *'' Explosion! The Sound of Slide Hampton'' (Atlantic, 1962) With Andrew Hill * '' Dance with Death'' (Blue Note, 1968 980 * '' Passing Ships'' (Blue Note, 1969 003 With

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

*''

3 Shades of Blue ''3 Shades of Blue'' is the final album recorded as leader by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Hodges featuring performances recorded in 1970 with vocalist Leon Thomas and composer/arranger Oliver Nelson and first released on the Flying Dutchman ...

'' (Flying Dutchman, 1970) With Jackie and Roy *'' A Wilder Alias'' (CTI, 1973) With

Antônio Carlos Jobim Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (25 January 1927 – 8 December 1994), also known as Tom Jobim (), was a Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and singer. Considered one of the great exponents of Brazilian mu ...

* '' Stone Flower'' (CTI, 1970) * ''

Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

'' (A&M, 1970) * '' Urubu'' (Warner Bros., 1976) With

* '' Puttin' It Together'' (Blue Note, 1968) * '' The Ultimate'' (Blue Note, 1968) *'' Poly-Currents'' (Blue Note, 1970) *'' Genesis'' (Blue Note, 1971) *'' Merry-Go-Round'' (Blue Note, 1971) *'' New Agenda'' (Vanguard, 1975) With The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra *'' Presenting Thad Jones/Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra'' (Solid State, 1966) *'' Live at the Village Vanguard'' (Solid State, 1967) *'' Monday Night'' (Solid State, 1968) *'' Central Park North'' (Solid State, 1969) *''

Consummation In many traditions and statutes of civil or religious law, the consummation of a marriage, often called simply ''consummation'', is the first (or first officially credited) act of sexual intercourse between two people, following their marriage t ...

'' (Solid State, 1970) With Rufus Jones *'' Five on Eight'' (Cameo, 1964) With Lee Konitz *''

Chicago 'n All That Jazz ''Chicago 'n All That Jazz'' (subtitled ''Big Band Jazz of the Broadway Musical'') is an album by American jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz performing John Kander and Fred Ebb's songs from the Broadway musical ''Chicago (musical), Chicago'' recorded in ...

'' (Groove Merchant, 1975) With John Larkin * ''John Larkin'' (Transition, 1986) With Jeff Lorber Fusion * '' Soft Space'' (Inner City, 1978) * '' Water Sign'' (Arista, 1979) With

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for o ...

*''

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

'' (Atlantic, 1974) With Pat Martino * '' Strings!'' (Prestige, 1967) With Jack McDuff *'' The Fourth Dimension'' (Cadet, 1974) *'' Sophisticated Funk'' (Chess, 1976) With Charles Mingus *''Pre-Bird'' (aka '' Mingus Revisited'') (Mercury, 1960) With

Mingus Dynasty ''Mingus Dynasty'' is a jazz album by Charles Mingus, recorded in 1959 and released on Columbia Records in May 1960. It is a companion album to his 1959 record, ''Mingus Ah Um'', and was inducted in the List of Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipie ...

*''Chair in the Sky'' (Elektra, 1979) *''

Live at Montreux Live at Montreux is the name of live concert releases from Montreux Sounds and Eagle Vision, on CD and/or DVD, by various musicians, usually referring to recordings at the Montreux Jazz Festival: * James Brown: ''Live at Montreux 1981, Sex Machine'' ...

'' (Atlantic, 1980) With

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and ...

*'' Many Shades of Blue'' (Mainstream, 1974) With James Moody *'' The Blues and Other Colors'' (Milestone, 1969) With Airto Moreira *'' Free'' (CTI, 1972) With

Laura Nyro Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968 ...

*'' Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (Columbia, 1968) *'' Christmas and the Beads of Sweat'' (Columbia, 1970) With Dizzy Reece *''

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

'' (Prestige, 1962) With Santana *''

'' (Columbia, 1973) With Lalo Schifrin *'' Black Widow'' (CTI, 1976) *''

Towering Toccata ''Towering Toccata'' is an album by Argentine composer, pianist and conductor Lalo Schifrin recorded in 1976 and released on the CTI Records, CTI label.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed March 1, 2012 Reception The Allmusic review states "it ...

'' (CTI, 1976) With

Don Sebesky Don Sebesky (born December 10, 1937) is an American arranger, jazz trombonist, and keyboardist. Biography Sebesky trained in trombone at the Manhattan School of Music; in his early career, he played with Kai Winding, Claude Thornhill, Tommy D ...

*'' Giant Box'' (CTI, 1973) With

Dakota Staton Dakota Staton (June 3, 1930 – April 10, 2007) was an American jazz vocalist who found international acclaim with the 1957 No. 4 hit "The Late, Late Show". She was also known by the Muslim name Aliyah Rabia for a period due to her conversion to ...

*'' I Want a Country Man'' (Groove Merchant, 1973) With

Bobby Timmons Robert Henry Timmons (December 19, 1935 – March 1, 1974) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was a sideman in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers for two periods (July 1958 to September 1959; February 1960 to June 1961), between which he wa ...

*'' Got to Get It!'' (Milestone, 1967) With

Allen Vizzutti Allen Vizzutti (born September 13, 1952) is an American trumpeter, composer and music educator. Biography Born and raised in Missoula, Montana, Vizzutti learned the trumpet from his father, Lido Vizzutti. At age 16, Vizzutti won the concerto c ...

*''Allen Vizzutti'' (Headfirst, 1981) *''Skyrocket'' (Summit, 1995)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrell, Joe 1937 births 1986 deaths People from Chicago Heights, Illinois Hard bop saxophonists Crossover jazz saxophonists American jazz flautists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Deaths from bone cancer Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from myelodysplastic syndrome Return to Forever members Warner Records artists Xanadu Records artists Timeless Records artists American people of Italian descent American jazz musicians 20th-century British musicians 20th-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Mingus Dynasty (band) members The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra members CTI Records artists 20th-century flautists