Art Farmer (1928-99) was one of a number of great trumpeters who emerged in jazz during the 1950s. By the time he switched exclusively to flugelhorn in the early sixties, he had already become known for what journalist Leonard Feather described as “a style of rare lyricism” and a player whose “solos invariably show[ed] a…
The Marina Strings Play the Neil Diamond Solid Gold Songbook (1972)
Legendary record executive Russ Regan (1928-2018), in one of his first moves as president of the 20th Century Records label in the fall of 1972, decided to deliver an instrumental tribute album to the music of Neil Diamond – just in time for the holidays. Regan had been significant in developing Diamond’s career at Uni…
Gary McFarland & Co. – “Does The Sun Really Shine on the Moon?” (1968)
Depending on how you count, Does the Sun Really Shine on the Moon? is the first of either three or five discs composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist Gary McFarland (1933-71) recorded for the Skye Recordings label he co-owned with friends and fellow performers vibraphonist Cal Tjader and guitarist Gabor Szabo. The three records include this…
Four by Laurindo Almeida
For years, I passed by the treasure trove of guitarist Laurindo Almedia records that packed the bins of so many of the used-record stores I’ve trolled over the years. I can’t say why I avoided these records. They were certainly easy enough to come by. After seeing some of the posters in Facebook’s “Exotica…and other…
Gary McFarland – “Soft Samba” (1965)
“Soft Samba is the New Sound of ‘65” – Verve Records ad in DownBeat, Jan. 28, 1965. In the early sixties, Gary McFarland (1933-71) was one of jazz’s “golden boys.” He displayed his talent for clever arrangements on Stan Getz’s Big Band Bossa Nova and his own The Jazz Version of ‘How to Succeed in…
“Don Sebesky & The Jazz-Rock Syndrome” + “The Distant Galaxy” (1968)
By 1968, Don Sebesky (1937-2023) had become, if not the preeminent jazz arranger of his day, then certainly one of the first to call to do the job. Other top-tier arrangers – like Quincy Jones, Neal Hefti, Lalo Schifrin and Oliver Nelson – had all left for Hollywood by then. Sebesky’s ascendance – or, to…