Gary McFarland
| Gary McFarland | |
|---|---|
| Born |
23 October 1933 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died |
3 November 1971 (aged 38) New York City |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, arranger |
| Instruments | Vibraphone |
| Years active | 1963–1971 |
| Labels | Verve, Impulse!, Skye, Cobblestone, Buddah |
Gary McFarland (October 23, 1933 – November 3, 1971)[1] was an influential composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist, prominent on Verve and Impulse! Records during the 1960s, when he made "one of the more significant contributors to orchestral jazz".[1]
Life
McFarland was born in Los Angeles, on October 23, 1933, but grew up in Grants Pass, Oregon.
He attained a small following after working with Bill Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Johnny Hodges, John Lewis, Stan Getz, Bob Brookmeyer, and Anita O'Day.[1]
As well as his own albums and arrangements for other musicians he composed the scores to the films Eye of the Devil (1966) and Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name? (1971). By the end of the 1960s he was moving away from jazz towards an often wistful or melancholy style of instrumental pop, as well as producing the recordings of other artists on his Skye Records label (run in partnership with Gábor Szabó and Cal Tjader until its bankruptcy in 1970).
Death
McFarland was considering a move into writing and arranging for film and stage when, on November 3, 1971, he was poisoned with methadone in a New York City bar.[1]
Bill Evans recorded "Gary's Theme" in 1977.
Discography
As leader
- 1968: Does the Sun Really Shine on the Moon?
- 1968: America the Beautiful: An Account of Its Disappearance
- 1969: Slaves with Grady Tate
- 1969: Today
- 1963: Point of Departure
- 1965: Tijuana Jazz with Clark Terry
- 1966: Profiles
- 1966: Simpático with Gábor Szabó
- 1967: The October Suite with Steve Kuhn
- 1961: The Jazz Version of "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying"
- 1963: The Gary McFarland Orchestra: Special Guest Soloist: Bill Evans
- 1964: Soft Samba
- 1965: The In Sound
- 1966: Soft Samba Strings
- 1968: Scorpio and Other Signs
Other labels
- 1966: Eye of the Devil (soundtrack)
- 1971: Butterscotch Rum with Peter Smith (Buddah)
- 1972: Requiem for Gary McFarland (Cobblestone)
As producer/arranger
- 1961: All the Sad Young Men – Anita O'Day (Verve)
- 1961: Gloomy Sunday and Other Bright Moments – Bob Brookmeyer (Verve) – two compositions by McFarland
- 1962: Essence – John Lewis (Atlantic) – all compositions by McFarland
- 1962: Big Band Bossa Nova – Stan Getz (Verve)
- 1963: Gerry Mulligan '63 – Gerry Mulligan (Verve) – 3 coompositions by McFarland
- 1963: The Groovy Sound of Music – Gary Burton (RCA)
- 1965: Latin Shadows – Shirley Scott (Impulse!)
- 1966: Waiting Game – Zoot Sims (Impulse!)
- 1969: Genesis – Wendy and Bonnie
- 1969: Dreams – Gábor Szabó
- 1969: 1969 – Gábor Szabó
- 1969: Lena & Gabor – Lena Horne and Gábor Szabó
- 1971: Steve Kuhn – Steve Kuhn (Buddha)
As sideman
With Bob Brookmeyer
- Trombone Jazz Samba (Verve, 1962)
References
- 1 2 3 4 allmusic Biography by Douglas Payne
External links
- "This is Gary McFarland!" Documentary
- Gary McFarland — bibliography, discography and reviews spanning McFarland's career
- "Twelve Essential Gary McFarland Performance" by Bill Kichner (Jazz.com)