At the beginning of the 1960s Gary McFarland was the
darling of the jazz community. A songwriter, arranger,
producer, bandleader and vibes player, he had worked
with the cream of the crop including Bill Evans, Stan
Getz, Gerry Mulligan, the MJQ and Anita O'Day.
Imagine the shock, then, when these vocalese takes of
pop numbers showed up in the mid-60s. Unfortunately,
the purists blotted out just how innovative and
appealing the music really was. Over the last half
century these records have developed considerable
respect and a sizeable cult following.
Produced by Creed Taylor for the Verve label, these
albums featured top musicians including Antonio
Carlos Jobim, Kenny Burrell, Bob Brookmeyer and
Gabor Szabo.
McFarland was also one of the first "serious"
musicians to recognise the talents of Lennon and
McCartney, with four Beatles covers on "Soft Samba"
and the Stones' 'Satisfaction' on "The In Sound".
His mysterious and shocking death in a Greenwich
Village bar in 1971, at the age of 38, only served to
increase the mystique surrounding this true jazz
pioneer.
Notes and rare photographs are provided by Douglas
Payne, a long-time champion of McFarland's music.
Stereolab fans will be familiar with this release as the
band borrowed both the cover and the title for their
1999 7" EP.
