Wild Thing (1968) is the only disc Cuban percussionist Armando Peraza (1924-2014) released under his own name during his lifetime. It is also the fifth disc released on the short-lived Skye Recordings, the label founded earlier that year by musicians Gary McFarland, Cal Tjader and Gabor Szabo. If it did nothing other than offer a…
John Lewis/Gary McFarland – “Essence” (1964)
Like fellow Modern Jazz Quartet member Milt Jackson, pianist John Lewis (1920-2001) recorded prolifically outside of the revered jazz group on various solo projects. Unlike Jackson, whose solo records tended toward more swing and bluesy-ness than the MJQ, however, Lewis’ solo endeavors often swung toward film and ballet scores and outré or altogether non-jazz efforts.…
Steve Kuhn/Gary McFarland – “The October Suite” (1967)
By this point in the brief, decade-long career of Gary McFarland (1933-71), the gifted composer and arranger easily balanced light and breezy (even poppy) music with the serious and somber (quasi-classical, or what was then called the Third Stream). As the title of this record more than suggests, The October Suite is considerably more of…
Stan Getz With Guest Artist Laurindo Almeida (1966)
This one is, if not a lost treasure, certainly a forgotten one among those who love both tenor saxophonist Stan Getz (1927-91) and guitarist Laurindo Almeida (1917-95) alike. It’s also one that really fell between the cracks. I didn’t even remember that I had a copy of this disc until I was asked about it…
Pete Turner: The “Super Fusion 1900” Series (1982)
In 1982, the Japanese label King Records – which has manufactured and distributed CTI-related product in Japan since 1970, and continues to do so to this day – launched a provocative set of compilations in what it called the “Super Fusion 1900” series. The series comprised 16 records and totally eschewed the usual “Best…
Gary McFarland & Co./Clark Terry – “Tijuana Jazz” (1966)
Composer and arranger Gary McFarland (1933-71) and the legendary trumpeter and once-featured soloist in the Duke Ellington band, Clark Terry (1920-2015) get together and head “south of the border” for an especially tasty slice of Tijuana Jazz. This aptly-named record was clearly aimed at jumping aboard the runaway train that was Herb Alpert and the…