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Gary McFarland

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Gary McFarland was an American composer, arranger, conductor, vibraphonist and singer. He was born on 23 October 1933 in Los Angeles and moved at the age of fifteen to Grants Pass in Oregon. He died on 2 November 1971 in New York, aged 38. In the 1960s he recorded for the jazz labels Verve and Impulse!. He became known through his work with Bill Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Johnny Hodges, John Lewis, Stan Getz, Bob Brookmeyer and Anita O'Day.

Music and breakthrough

McFarland's reputation rests above all on his arrangements for orchestral jazz. DownBeat called him an important contributor to that genre, and a reviewer of a documentary described him as one of the busiest arrangers on the New York jazz circuit of the 1960s. His rise coincided with that of bossa nova, and he was good at translating that form into orchestral settings. Albums from that time include Point of Departure from 1964, Soft Samba from 1965, Profiles from 1966, The In Sound from 1966, The October Suite from 1967 and Today from 1969. For film he wrote the music for Eye of the Devil from 1966 and Who Killed Mary What's 'Er Name? from 1971.

Influence

At the end of the 1960s he moved away from jazz towards an often wistful instrumental pop. He also produced other people's recordings on his own label Skye Records, which he ran with Norman Schwartz, Gábor Szabó and Cal Tjader until it went bankrupt in 1970. He also worked on the soft rock album Genesis by the sisters Wendy and Bonnie Flower.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a track from Soft Samba and notice how a Brazilian rhythm has been translated into jazz. Try to hear what the arrangement adds.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists