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| The Gary McFarland Legacy Ensemble & This Is Gary McFarland Film The Gary McFarland Legacy Project is dedicated to the preservation of the music of composer/arranger/vibraphonist Gary McFarland. McFarland was a significant force in the jazz world in the 1960s. He was considered an "adult prodigy" by former Downbeat magazine editor Gene Lees as Gary did not start any formal studies until he was in his late twenties. After winning a Downbeat scholarship to the Berklee School of Music in 1959, McFarland spent just one semester of study there before moving to New York City. Through his connection with trombonist/composer Bob Brookmeyer, McFarland wrote his first professional arrangements for Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band. The rest, as they say, was history. McFarland would go on to be one of the most important jazz forces of the 1960's with his compositions, arrangements, recordings, and film and stage scores. He was also a prolific producer and part owner of the SKYE record label along with Cal Tjader and Gabor Szabo. McFarland was also one of the first jazz musicians to include pop and rock material in his recordings and performances. His recording, America the Beautiful, combined elements of jazz, rock and orchestral writing that would prove to be one of the most seminal works of the 1960s. McFarland died in 1971 just after his 38th birthday. His career lasted just a little over ten years but his music is timeless. Percussionist Michael Benedict has studied, performed and recorded McFarland's music ever since meeting Gail McFarland, Gary's widow, in 1979. Michael and Gail were married in 1981 for twenty-five years until Gail's death in 2007. Michael and his stepdaughter, Kerry McFarland, continue to promote Gary's music to this day. KRISTIAN ST. CLAIR'S LINER NOTES If the name Gary McFarland is unfamiliar to you it is because he and his musical legacy have been far too neglected in the years after his premature death in 1971. An "adult prodigy" as coined by Gene Lees, McFarland had dabbled in everything from minor league baseball to being a wine sommelier, when in 1959, at the urging of bandleader Santiago Gonzalez, he applied for a Downbeat scholarship to Berklee School of Music. He won the scholarship and was off and running. Drummer and leader of this recording, Michael Benedict, who married Gary McFarland's widow Gail in 1981, has peppered his previous recordings with McFarland originals, so it is only natural that we now find him leading a date featuring material exclusively composed by McFarland. He and McFarland's daughter Kerry continue to advocate for greater exposure of his rich legacy. The opener on this album Dragon Head along with Summer Day, Notions and Circulation are all early compositions from McFarland's time at Berklee. Pianist Steve Kuhn remembers McFarland giving him Dragon Head when he was briefly a member of Stan Getz's group and Summer Day was recorded by McFarland for an early Berklee compilation LP. Notions was recorded by John Lewis, who was an early and enthusiastic advocate for McFarland's music. Why Are You Blue? and Blue Hodge were both first recorded by Johnny Hodges for Verve in 1961. McFarland had this to say about Hodges, "I get so hung up just from the sound that he produces, a lot of times I don't even care what he plays." Why are you Blue? has been recorded by the Modern Jazz Quartet, Bob Brookmeyer, and singer Nancy Harrow among others. The Sandpiper was originally recorded by McFarland in 1963 for his Impulse record "Point of Departure" and was inspired by the sight of the titular birds dodging the waves on the beaches of Long Island where he divided his time between Manhattan and the recording studios. One I Could Have Loved was a theme McFarland revisited many times in his career, first surfacing as the main title of the 1967 David Niven/Sharon Tate thriller Eye of the Devil. Additionally, McFarland recorded it with Steve Kuhn on the classic The October Suite, on his own Soft Samba Strings album for Verve, and for Cal Tjader's Skye Records debut Solar Heat. It is a haunting and lovely ballad that never gets old and stays in your head long after the final notes have faded. Both Chuggin' and Bridgehampton Strut were originally recorded by the Gerry Mulligan Concert Big Band. Mulligan gave McFarland his first big break when he recorded two of his arrangements in 1960. Not long after that, he caught the attention of Verve's Creed Taylor and soon landed such plum assignments as Anita O'Day's All the Sad Young Men and Stan Getz's follow-up to Jazz Samba, Big Band Bossa Nova. Last Rights for the Promised Land is given a stunning solo interpretation by vibraphonist Joe Locke. Originally appearing on McFarland's 1968 masterpiece America the Beautiful, it is a poignant finale to this record. Gary McFarland's prodigious output came to an abrupt end on the afternoon of November 2, 1971 when, under murky circumstances, he ingested a methadone-spiked drink. He was only 38 and no doubt had much much more music to share. Michael Benedict, Bruce Barth (also the arranger on this album), and Mike Lawrence have played together for quite some time in and around the New York area and it really shows. They have a strong empathetic bond and shine a fresh light on McFarland's material. With Joe Locke and Sharel Cassity along for the ride, this group is, to steal the title of one of Gary McFarland's records, Simpatico. Michael Benedict - Notes This recording has, in a sense, been in the making for over thirty-five years. I became acquainted with Gary McFarland's music when I met my future first wife and Gary's widow, Gail, in 1979. After being introduced to his music I immediately became enchanted with the sounds. It was unlike anything that I had ever heard before and thus began a life long journey into the study and promotion of Gary's music. I knew that eventually I would produce a full album of his work. With the help of my producer, Thomas Bellino, I assembled what I believe to be the perfect band for this small group recording. The group, which includes vibes, piano, bass, drums and saxophone, was a common instrumentation for Gary especially in the middle of his career. With Bruce Barth's arranging talents, I believe that we stuck a perfect balance of honoring the integrity of the compositions while adding a modern touch to the performance of the scores. It just proves that Gary's writing is timeless and sounds as current today as when they were written five decades ago. The Gary McFarland Legacy Project will be an ongoing entity that will hopefully show the genius of the man who had a professional career that was just over a decade long and bring back a name that was once being talked about in the same vein as Duke Ellington. I would like to thank Thomas Bellino for his vision, Joe Locke, Bruce Barth, Sharel Cassity and Mike Lawrence for their artistry and passion, Scott Petito for his ears and technical expertise, Kristian St. Claire for his liner notes and devotion to all things McFarland, Alek Speck for the CD layout and Rudy Lu for his photography. Also, special thanks to my wife Ginger Benedict for keeping me on the right path and always supporting and encouraging my dreams. This album is dedicated to Kerry McFarland and to the memories of Gary, Gail and Milo McFarland. The Gary McFarland Legacy Ensemble & This Is Gary McFarland Film Showing CD Release Show Tues., July 14th 7:00PM Madison Theater 1036 Madison Avenue between South Main and South Allen Albany NY 518-438-2094 15.00 admission Tickets & Info featuring Sharel Cassity, saxophones Bruce Barth, piano/arrangements Mike Lawrence, bass Michael Benedict, drums NEW CD Circulation: Music of Gary McFarland The Gary McFarland Legacy Ensemble directed by Michael Benedict write your comments about the article :: © 2015 Jazz News :: home page |