Chicago Baritone Saxophonist Jimmy Farace
Proudly Announces His Debut Recording: Hours Fly, Flowers Die
Produced by Greg Ward, and featuring Jimmy Farace – baritone saxophone, compositions, arrangements, Kenny Reichert – guitar, Julius Tucker – piano, Clark Sommers – bass, Dana Hall – drums & cymbals, and The KAIA String Quartet: Victoria Moreira – violin, Naomi Culp – violin, Susan Bengtson Price – viola, Hope Shepherd Decelle – cello
“Hours Fly, Flowers Die” is a COMPLETE musical statement, displaying an uncommon level of maturity for such a young artist. Jimmy Farace playing and writing are the mark of someone who demands the attention of a wide audience!” – Walter Smith III
“Jimmy Farace has made a recording of timeless and immense beauty. His baritone playing is deeply emotional, mature, and his sound simply gorgeous. The combination of the writing and playing is stunning, wonderfully conceived, and in perfect balance and harmony.” – Gary Smulyan
“Jimmy Farace’s record was a true joy to listen to. He really explores the range of the baritone, from his incredibly beautiful melodies to his hard swinging bebop. It’s so clear he has checked out the history of the instrument and the music, and has found his own voice and approach to it with his playing and his wonderful writing. I can’t wait to hear more from him!” – Paul Nedzela
Throughout the history of jazz and improvised music, we have been fortunate to have such an abundance of masters on the baritone sax – Pepper Adams, Gerry Mulligan, Pat Patrick, Gary Smulyan, Ronnie Cuber and others – delighting us with their big sounds and melodic lyricism. Add to this list a young master of the baritone sax, and of the pen, Chicago’s own Jimmy Farace, an artist steeped in the tradition and contributing mightily to the future with his debut recording, Hours Fly, Flowers Die (dropping April 11, 2025 on Shifting Paradigm Records).
Hours Fly, Flowers Die, features Farace’s original compositions and arrangements for a modern jazz nonet with strings. The album, featuring a cast of the Windy City’s best and brightest, is a heartfelt narrative bound together by the poignant themes of nostalgia and the passage of time. Farace explains, “drawing inspiration from Henry Van Dyke’s timeless poem, ‘For Katrina’s Sundial,’ the collection of works in this project become a contemplative journey, capturing the essence of fleeting moments, the bittersweet nature of nostalgia, and the universal struggle to hold onto the ephemeral present.”
When one has love and passion for an endeavor, coupled with erudition, dedication and aptitude, they usually open many doors and have a clear runway for takeoff. Such is the case with Farace. Dr. Michael Allemana (University of Chicago/University of Illinois-Chicago), explains in the album’s liner notes that, “in 2023, at DePaul University, Farace took my graduate jazz history course. Straight away I observed a robust intellect, always eager to critically analyze the social and musical past and its relevance to the present. His sensitivity to detail, accompanied with a big heart that informs his understanding of human endeavors, was always on display in his work and during discussions. He displays this intellectual and artistic sensitivity prominently in this musical narrative about time and personal growth.”
The rhythm section on Hours Fly, Flowers Die is one of the most respected teams in Chicago, and beyond, featuring bassist Clark Sommers and drummer Dana Hall. You can hear on this album (and many others) why they are the cream of the crop. The up and coming Chicago pianist Julius Tucker is also featured here, and his contributions to bringing Farace’s compositions to life are nothing short of remarkable. Guitarist Kenny Reichert rounds out the core band, with layers of beautiful accompaniment (check out his work on “Ferson Creek” and the title track), and sophisticated solos when called upon.
Two masterstrokes by Farace were one, his organic integration of string quartet into his compositions (it’s so compelling and moving that one could easily proclaim that this should be the standard format for modern jazz in the twenty first century), and secondly, composing and engaging The KAIA String Quartet, featuring Victoria Moreira – violin, Naomi Culp – violin, Susan Bengtson Price – viola, Hope Shepherd Decelle – cello. As stated in the liner notes by Dr. Allemana, “with the low range and deep sound of the baritone sax, the strings glisten harmonies and counterpoint with Farace’s lyricism, generating heartfelt performances throughout.”
Hours Fly, Flowers Die is a complete artistic statement with a plethora of moods and modes expressed from a young composer and improviser’s heart. You have lovely, contemplative works such as, “My Ship,” “Prophetic Dreams,” and “Ferson Creek.” You have up-tempo swingers with the Tristano-like, “Directionally Challenged.” You have moments of avant-garde with the intro to, “Signs Of Spring,” and cinematic, modern works with the dramatic and energetic sonic landscape of the title track; attributed to Dana Hall’s propulsion, the McCoy Tyner-like accompaniment of Julius Tucker, and electrifying solos from Farace, Reichert and Hall, all supported and fueled by Clark Sommers.
Fans of music, art, humanity, etc. should rejoice that there are artists in the world such as Jimmy Farace, creating elevated listening experiences with albums that take you on an emotional journey. Creating music with depth and meaning which has the potential to enrich your soul, and perhaps make you feel important things like gratitude and inspiration. It’s also equally rewarding and highly enjoyable to forget all that and just lose yourself in the joy of this music!