Search - Gary Mcfarland :: The In Sound

Gary mcfarland- the "in" sound is back" in"!

Cagney Davis | portland, or | 02/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some of my earliests memories recall sunny childhood visions of southern california during the mid-sixties- the smell of ice plants, walks to the beach, the cool, cloudy mornings turning each day to the glorious warmth of lazy childhood afternoons spent running in the yard as mom worked in her garden. The soundtrack to these years was headlined by the glorious gentle tones of such monsters of bossa nova as Jobim, Getz and the Gilbertos'. Even now, though, nothing recalls that easy, breezy so.cal. feeling as fast as the soft samba sounds of Gary Mcfarland. This album, "The In Sound", reveals Mcfarlands truly unique gifts. Never is his vocalese smoother or more intoxicating. Sweet velvety vibes alternatingly soulful or filled with whimsy. From his haunting spanish landscapes in "The Moment of Truth" and "The Hills of Verdugo" to the gently swinging cool of "Overeasy" and "Fried Bananas", Mcfarlands sound captures completely the mix of innocence and meloncoly that is evoked by the bossa nova movement of the sixties. A absolute must have."

Classic McFarland & Some Gabor too!

Durge | 02/08/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Being a lifelong bargain bin raider when it comes to my record, tapes & CD's I have had the good fortune to come across a few McFarland albums over the years. Gary and his music do not seem widely accepted by the jazz community while his pop tendencies are probably not the stuff of gold records either. Yet there is clearly a dedicated effort in all his music that is unique and consistent while oddly experimental in its own way. You come to appreciate the dreamy whistling and laid back vibe work along with his smooth, almost amaturish singing. I've honestly grown to enjoy his work although when I first bought this record at a tag sale I quickly tossed it in the wasted wax section of my collection. Recently I rediscovered it due to my renewed interest in the guitar work of Gabor Szabo. Gabor has several very fine solos on this album including The Hills of Verdugo, Fried Bananas & The Sting Of The Bee. Kenny Burrell is also on this album but his work is less evident to me. Bob Brookmeyer provides a few nice solos on trombone as well. Sadao Watanabe, Grady Tate & Richard Davis are a few other musicians of note on this 1965 recording. As was often the case, the samba theme is prominent in McFarland's work. Bloop Bleep is an interesting little diddy but I would say the treatment of the Stones' "Satisfaction" was perhaps ill advised. But as on many other of his records, you have to admire this fun blend of pop/jazz/arguably "easy listening" art. For me it can become a bit infectious, and I'm more typically a fan of the more hard core side of jazz. If you already like McFarland, you should certainly have this album. If you are a Szabo fan like me, the solos are worth adding to your collection for sure. Enjoy!"

The unknown McFarland

E. Macomber | New Bern, NC United States | 02/16/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been fascinated with Gary McFarland since a student in NYC in the early 60's. WNEW introduced "Soft Samba" to the world and then William B. Williams made it a point to keep Mcfarland's music out there. This album was almost a follow up, more so than the "Soft Samba and Strings" effort, since "In Sound" keeps the same small group flavor of the first. The REALLY interesting thing about this is that even the apparently un-informed Verve producers of the cd re-issues of his work did not know that he wrote "bloop-bleep" and the "Theme from 13" sometimes called Moment of Truth or March 13.A little note: Wes Montgomery and Jimmy Smith take this March 13 to an unbelievable new height in the Dynamic Duo. This cd is a must for any 60's type lounge music! McFarland was a genius of the vocalese! McFarland and Szbo did some great stuff for Impulse and on their short lived label (along with Tjader) SKYE."