Originally recorded in late November 1979 for Contemporary Records and later reissue-remastered by Original Jazz Classics, Sonic Text is a brilliant, muscular, and exceptionally vibrant post-bop masterwork led by multi-reed icon Joe Farrell. This session captures Farrell returning to a fierce acoustic straight-ahead setting, shedding his seventies fusion aesthetic for an explosive, high-energy quintet playground. Joining him on the frontline is his old coworker, the volcanic trumpet legend Freddie Hubbard. Together, they fire off lightning-fast unison lines and blazing, virtuosic solos. The performance is further elevated by an elite West Coast rhythm section, featuring the nimble, multi-layered piano stylings of George Cables, the deep woody lines of bassist Tony Dumas, and the pristine, driving polyrhythms of drum master Peter Erskine. Moving seamlessly from the intricate modal geometry of the title track to Hubbard's deep-grooving original The Jazz Crunch and the sweeping, lyrical 11-minute closing journey of Malibu, this crystalline recording captures a group of modern masters interacting at the very peak of their technical and compositional powers.

Originally recorded in November 1974 for Creed Taylor's legendary CTI sub-label Kudu and masterfully reissued by Wounded Bird Records, Canned Funk is a blistering, greasy, and fiercely kinetic fusion classic led by virtuoso multi-reedist Joe Farrell. Highly revered for his foundational work with Chick Corea's original Return to Forever, Farrell steps out here to deliver one of the rawest and most hard-driving funk-jazz dates in his catalog. Eschewing lush orchestral strings for a lean, street-smart quintet, Farrell unleashes a fiery torrent on tenor, soprano, and baritone saxophones alongside his signature, lightning-fast flute work. The performance is supercharged by the blistering, blues-drenched electric guitar work of Joe Beck and a relentless, deep-pocket rhythm section anchored by Herb Bushler, Jim Madison, and the sizzling Afro-Cuban percussion loops of Ray Mantilla. From the unstoppable groove of the title track to the shifting, epic movements of Suite Martinique, this pristine acoustic-electric document stands as a towering, essential masterpiece of seventies high-voltage fusion.

The legendary first lineup of Chick Corea's fusion band Return to Forever debuted on this classic album (titled after the group but credited to Corea), featuring Joe Farrell on soprano sax and flute, the Brazilian team of vocalist Flora Purim and drummer/percussionist Airto Moreira, and electric bass whiz Stanley Clarke. It wasn't actually released in the U.S. until 1975, which was why the group's second album, Light as a Feather, initially made the Return to Forever name. Nonetheless, Return to Forever is every bit as classic, using a similar blend of spacy electric-piano fusion and Brazilian and Latin rhythms. It's all very warm, light, and airy, like a soft breeze on a tropical beach – hardly the sort of firebrand approach to fusion that Miles Davis, Tony Williams, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra were exploring, and far less rooted in funk or rock.

Soft Space is the second album by Keyboardist Jeff Lorber as leader of his band The Jeff Lorber Fusion. Released in 1978, this album featured special guest artists, Chick Corea and Joe Farrell. This was the group's last effort for Inner City Records before moving on to Arista Records the following year.

Percussionist Airto Moreira, his wife, vocalist Flora Purim, and Joe Farrell (heard on flute, soprano and tenor) had teamed up several times through the years, most notably in the original version of Return To Forever. Farrell would pass away just eight months after this album, but is still heard in fine form on the interesting set.An atmospheric and at times haunting effort.

This little-known CTI recording matches guitarist George Benson and Joe Farrell, a multi-reed player who mostly sticks to flute. Joined by a large rhythm section and sometimes two other flutists (including Eddie Daniels), Benson and Farrell play four originals by session arranger Dave Matthews, plus the standard "Old Devil Moon." This pleasing if not all that memorable instrumental date was recorded right after Benson's Breezin' (and before its release), ending the guitarist's CTI period right before he became a vocal star.

Signed to Warner Bros. in 1977, Farrell, who had been a valued sideman, had also released a few albums under his own name. On CTI, he released albums like Moon Germs, Song of the Wind, and Outback. But like many artists of his type, he was only as good as his producers and the album's premises. Ralph McDonald and William Eaton produced La Catedral Y El Toro. Despite the authoritative title, this is a fairly standard fusion set. The title track aims for Chick Corea-like expansion and excitement, but the production renders it listless, even Stanley Clarke's bass solo sounds enervated. "Promise Me Your Love" is trademark low-key and soothing McDonald and Eaton, with guitarist Eric Gale and Richard Tee's keyboards ably assisting Farrell's fluid soprano and tenor sax solos…