Penny Arcade (album)

Penny Arcade
Studio album by Joe Farrell
Released	1973
Recorded	October 1973
Studio	Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Genre	Jazz
Length	36:10
Label	CTI Records
Producer	Creed Taylor
Joe Farrell chronology
Moon Germs (1972) Penny Arcade (1973) Upon This Rock (1974)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide
DownBeat

Penny Arcade is a jazz album by Joe Farrell on the CTI Records label. It was recorded at the Van Gelder Studio in October 1973.

Reception

Ray Townley assigned a 3 star rating for his review in Downbeat in 1974. He wrote, "Farrell is just one of those musicians who happens to be a monstrous player (has thorough concep tion of his instrument and the facility to ex ecute ideas on it), but who is only an average composer of original material or re-arranger of other people's". Townley praises Farrell’s playing as "fluid and melodic," especially on "Geo Blue" as "the type of playing we’ve come to expect from Joe since he won the db Critics Poll in '68". He singles out Hancock's contribution on "Cloud Cream" with Hancock "excelling on piano, this time acoustically (and reminiscent of his early-’60s work with Willie Bobo)".

Track listing

Side one

1. "Penny Arcade" (Joe Beck) – 4:45
2. "Too High" (Stevie Wonder) – 13:15

Side two

1. "Hurricane Jane" (Joe Farrell) – 4:25
2. "Cloud Cream" (Joe Farrell) – 6:15
3. "Geo Blue" (Joe Farrell) – 7:30

Personnel

• Joe Farrell – tenor and soprano sax, flute, piccolo
• Herbie Hancock – piano
• Joe Beck – guitar
• Steve Gadd- drums
• Herb Bushler – bass
• Don Alias – conga

Recording credits

• Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
• Producer – Creed Taylor
• Cover photograph – Pete Turner
• Liner photograph – Sheila Green Metzner
• Album design – Bob Ciano