Anita O'Day - All The Sad Young Men

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 34:21
Size: 78.6 MB
Styles: Jazz vocals
Year: 1961/2012
Art: Front

[3:44] 1. Boogie Blues
[4:12] 2. You Came A Long Way From St. Louis
[2:42] 3. I Want To Sing A Song
[3:17] 4. A Woman Alone With The Blues
[4:28] 5. The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men
[4:07] 6. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
[2:38] 7. One More Mile
[3:56] 8. Night Bird
[2:29] 9. Up State
[2:44] 10. Senor Blues

When Creed Taylor took over the production reins from Norman Granz when the latter sold Verve to MGM, he continued to place Anita O'Day in imaginative settings that challenged her creativity. On this LP, she was served with a collection of brilliant, difficult big-band charts, courtesy of a 27-year-old emerging master named Gary McFarland who mixed instrumental voices and tempo changes in querulous, turbulent combinations. Even a truly odd pick like "You Came a Long Way From St. Louis" is enlivened with sprouting shafts of outlaw muted brass and reeds. Another highlight is the contemporary update of O'Day's old flag-waver with the Krupa band, "Boogie Blues," complete with one of her patented flip upturned glissandos at the end. This album must have been a traumatic experience for O'Day, for as she tells the story, the tapes of McFarland's arrangements arrived by mail from New York and she had to overdub her vocals in an empty studio in Los Angeles. Yet it is a tribute to O'Day's abilities that she makes it all sound easy, exhibiting a freedom in phrasing and improvising that is extraordinary even for her. ~Richard S. Ginnell

All The Sad Young Men mc
All The Sad Young Men zippy

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Gary McFarland - Soft Samba

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 28:56
Size: 66.2 MB
Styles: Bossa Nova, Latin jazz
Year: 1964/2015
Art: Front

[1:45] 1. Ringo
[2:33] 2. From Russia With Love
[2:16] 3. She Loves You
[3:03] 4. A Hard Day's Night
[2:04] 5. The Good Life
[2:18] 6. More
[3:55] 7. And I Love Her
[1:57] 8. The Love Goddess
[3:13] 9. I Want To Hold Your Hand
[1:51] 10. Emily
[1:53] 11. California, Here I Come
[2:03] 12. La Vie En Rose

Acoustic Guitar – Antonio Carlos Jobim; Bass – Richard Davis; Flute – Seldon Powell, Spencer Sinatra; Guitar – Kenny Burrell; Percussion – Sol Gubin, Willie Bobo; Piano – Patty Bowen; Trombone – Jimmy Cleveland. Recorded June15-16, September 3, October7, 1964, at Van Gelder Recording Studios, NJ.

Gary McFarland's profile was rising in jazz as an arranger and producer, having already crafted respected albums with artists such as Bill Evans. This album was perceived as a step in more commercial directions, what with its covers of Beatles tunes, film themes, and all. This didn't make it popular with jazz critics of the time, generally known for being snobby, anyways. Now that Gary McFarland is being increasingly remembered, there are similarly increasing numbers of McFarland-related reissues like this to be found. It is generally accepted that his follow-up --- The In Sound --- is the better album, but don't let that knowledge cause you to overlook Soft Samba!

Soft Samba may not have Gabor Szabo, but it does have Kenny Burrell and Antonio Carlos Jobim on guitar. It has Willie Bobo on percussion. It has "yeah, yeah, yeah" as the only readily identifiable lyrics on an album otherwise full of vocals. For these reasons and more, please introduce yourself to this album and to the thoroughly enjoyable repertoire of Gary McFarland. ~Panko Morton

Soft Samba

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Various - Latin Nights (2-Disc Set)

Album: Latin Nights (Disc 1)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:54
Size: 155.4 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2008

[6:59] 1. Juan Pablo Torres - When Day Breaks
[5:23] 2. Julio Barreto Cuban Quartet - Coming Home Baby
[4:40] 3. Cheo Feliciano - Anacona
[4:11] 4. Armando Peraza - Souled Out
[2:36] 5. Celia Cruz - Burundanga
[5:05] 6. Humberto Ramírez - Paradise
[3:33] 7. Armando Peraza - Wild Thing
[7:32] 8. Juan Pablo Torres - Moonlight Serenade 2
[6:12] 9. Michael Philip Mossman - Iron And Blood
[9:17] 10. Ray Barretto - Club Mix 50 Aniversario
[4:52] 11. Armando Peraza - Viva Peraza
[7:29] 12. Ray Barretto - Fuerza Gigante

Latin Nights (Disc 1)

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Album: Latin Nights (Disc 2)
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:18
Size: 119.7 MB
Styles: Latin jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[7:57] 1. Juan Manuel Ceruto - A Puerto Padre
[4:43] 2. Josep Soto - Tornasol
[2:59] 3. Gary McFarland - Flamingo
[2:23] 4. El Rey Del Mundo - Originale
[4:26] 5. Voces Del Milenio - Juguete
[3:05] 6. Cal Tjader - Morning Mist
[3:13] 7. Armando Peraza - Al Bajar El Sol
[5:09] 8. Humberto Ramírez - Con El Corazon
[4:57] 9. Cal Tjader - Nica's Dream
[6:31] 10. Humberto Ramírez - Tus Ojos
[3:14] 11. Gabor Szabo - The Look Of Love
[3:35] 12. Gary McFarland - O Morro

Latin Nights (Disc 2)

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Steve Kuhn, Gary McFarland - The October Suite

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 38:25
Size: 88.0 MB
Styles: Post bop, Piano jazz
Year: 1966/2003
Art: Front

[4:47] 1. Once I Could Have Loved
[6:18] 2. St. Tropez Shuffle
[7:09] 3. Remember When
[7:35] 4. Traffic Patterns
[6:30] 5. Childhood Dreams
[6:03] 6. Open Highway

The October Suite, recorded in 1966, is one of two Gary McFarland chamber music masterworks featuring brilliant pianists. It followed by nearly four years The Gary McFarland Orchestra, Special Guest Soloist: Bill Evans (Verve). In each case, McFarland used economy of instruments and of compositional means to create expansive music that illuminates far beyond the size of the ensemble and the deceptive simplicity of his writing. Three of The October Suite's sections employ a string quartet, the second three a woodwind quartet and a harp. McFarland's settings, rich in beauty and daring, stimulated pianist Steve Kuhn to some of his most incandescent and imaginative playing of the '60s. Bassist Ron Carter and drummer Marty Morell supported him.

McFarland's legacy as a composer and arranger is sadly overlooked. His stunning accomplishments during his one busy decade ended with his death in 1971 at the age of 38. Many of McFarland's albums are unavailable except as used LPs. Kuhn's neglect is equally perplexing and less easily explained, since he is playing at the highest level of his career. Perhaps the long overdue reissue of The October Suite will help bring Kuhn the attention he has long deserved and continues to earn.

The McFarland-Bill Evans collaboration is on CD as a part of Verve's massive Evans boxed set, but it has never been reissued on its own. We may hope that Verve will reach into its vaults for more of the riches in McFarland's discography on the Verve and Impulse labels. ~Doug Ramsey

The October Suite

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