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This is actually just a repackaging of McFarland's "Soft Samba" LP from 1964 -- a dream of a record from Gary McFarland -- lightly jazzy instrumentals with a warm bossa nova undercurrent! The style is incredible -- a sweet blend of vibes, guitar, and even some light whistling -- often also featuring wordless jazz vocals -- scatting along with the groove in a melodic and lovely kind of way! The whole thing's incredibly charming, and even familiar tunes come across sounding quite different in McFarlands hands. Titles include "From Russia With Love", "More", "Emily", "La Vie En Rose", "The Love Goddess", and even a groovy take on "I Want To Hold Your Hand".

A great record -- and one that's filled with so many wonderful little moments! The whole thing's a very cool, very off-beat set of jazz tracks recorded by vibist Gary McFarland, with a group that includes Jimmy Raney, Richie Kamuca, and Steve Swallow. Tight groovy little tracks, with a sound that's similar to some of his nuttier Verve work, but without any vocals. Tracks include "Pecos Pete", "Hello To The Season", "Schlock-House Blues", and "Love Theme From David And Lisa". Lots of nice modal moments!

One of the grooviest albums of the 60s -- a sublime blend of jazz, bossa, and easy -- and a set that definitely lives up to its title! The album's probably the most perfect realization of the unique groove that Gary McFarland was going for back in the day -- a mix of vibes, whistling, and wordless vocals, supported by some gently funky rhythms that use a fair bit of electric bass to underscore the groove! The lineup here is wonderful -- with Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Gabor Szabo on guitar, Grady Tate on drums, and Sadao Watanabe making a rare 60s US appearance on flute and tenor sax. Gary blends these instrumental elements perfectly for the record -- and comes up with a completely unique sound that can only be described as "McFarlandy"! Amazing cuts include "Fried Bananas", "Bloop Bleep", and "Over Easy" -- but the whole album's incredible, and other tracks include "The Sting Of The Bee", "Wine & Bread", "Here I Am", "The Hills Of Verdugo", and "The Moment Of Truth".

A dream of a record from Gary McFarland -- lightly jazzy instrumentals with a warm bossa nova undercurrent! The style is incredible -- a sweet blend of vibes, guitar, and even some light whistling -- often also featuring wordless jazz vocals -- scatting along with the groove in a melodic and lovely kind of way! The whole thing's incredibly charming, and even familiar tunes come across sounding quite different in McFarlands hands. Titles include "From Russia With Love", "More", "Emily", "La Vie En Rose", "The Love Goddess", and even a groovy take on "I Want To Hold Your Hand". For you true swingers, the cover includes directions for mixing a "Soft Samba Cocktail" (courtesy Spanish Sherry Institute)!

Wild stuff -- and very different than Gary McFarland's earlier albums! Today was recorded late in Gary's career, and is has him moving a bit away from jazz -- into a more sunshine pop feel -- one that still retains plenty of the bossa and breezy elements of his Verve work, but which also features a bit more vocals and a cool and groovy style overall! Gary's singing on most tracks -- not just in his wordless and whistling mode, but also taking some of the lyrics more directly -- delivering them with a hauntingly-recorded quality that makes the whole thing sound beautifully moody. The core group is still quite jazzy -- and features Hubert Laws, Curtis Fuller, and Grady Tate -- plus some light cello, guitar, and even a bit of percussion by Airto. Titles include "Suzanne", "My Cherie Amour", "Sombras De Saudade", "Berimbau", "Desafinado", "I Will Wait For You", and the Beatles' beautiful tune "Because", done in a great breathy style! Moody and beautiful, and proof that McFarland was one of the 60s true pop geniuses!

The only album ever cut by conga player Armando Peraza -- the killer percussionist who worked with Cal Tjader in the 60s! The album's got a very similar feel to Cal's work of the time -- blending together jazz, Latin, and groovy 60s rhythms -- with lots of percussion on the bottom, and instrumentation that includes electric piano, funky flute, and some nice alto sax. Most tracks have the off-center sound that you'd expect from the Skye label -- and arrangements are by Cal and Gary McFarland, so you know the tunes are pretty darn great! Titles include a mix of originals like "Viva Pereza", "Red Onions" "Granny's Samba", plus groovy covers like "Wild Thing", "Mony Mony", "Funky Broadway".

A great album from Shirley Scott -- with some excellent arrangements by Gary McFarland! We've always felt that Shirley plays best when she's not leading the group -- when someone else is handling the arrangements, so that she can groove mightily on her own -- and this album is a perfect illustration of that fact! The album has a sparkling bossa and 60s groove finish -- similar to McFarland's albums for Verve at the time -- and Shirley's light touch on the Hammond really makes the whole thing dance nicely! Tracks include a sweet version of "Soul Sauce", plus covers like "Can't Get Over the Bossa Nova", "Downtown", and "Dreamsville". Also includes "Latin Shadows", a great original by McFarland!

A landmark record -- not only in the career of Grady Tate, but in the realm of adult vocals as well! Grady's incredible here -- cool, classy, and amazingly stepping from the role of being a simple jazz drummer, into a world of sophisticated vocals that really caught the world by surprise. The backings are lush, but light -- as cooly poised as Grady's own vocals, and still able to hit the right amounts of soulfulness to make the tunes come across with a sound that was quite different than the usual adult pop record of the time. The whole thing's an amazing mix of jazz, soul, and vocals -- set to arrangements by Gary McFarland and Mike Abene, and supported by wonderful backings from Jerome Richradson. Includes the sublime "Sack Full Of Dreams", a swirling track that sounds a lot like Scott Walker to us -- plus Grady's classic reading of "Windmills Of Your Mine", and the tunes "TNT", "Would You Believe", "All Around The World", and "A Little At A Time". !

2 totally great Cal Tjader electric albums -- both recorded originally for the Skye label, and back to back on one CD! Cal Tjader Plugs In is a beautifully plugged-in, turned-on session from Cal Tjader -- one that features the funky vibist alongside some sweet Fender Rhodes! The session was recorded live, but it's got a flowing, modal quality that rivals Tjader's best work in the studio for Verve and Fantasy at the end of the 60s -- a soaring, spacious sound that comes from the interplay between Cal's ringing vibes and the Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano work of Al Zulaica -- an excellent player we only know from a few of Tjader's albums. Armando Peraza provides some tight conga work on the set -- and titles include "Spooky", "Tra La La Song", "Morning Mist", "Alonzo", "Nica's Dream", and "Get Out of My Way" -- a great instrumental take on the Latin soul hit from Joe Torres! Solar Heat is even better -- a record that features Joao Donato on organ and Gary McFarland on vibes! The record is a brilliant extension of Cal's styles at Verve -- a bit of Latin, a bit of jazz, with some easily grooving numbers that have just the right dose of funk! Donato's organ sounds especially great, and there's also some added electric piano and electric harpsichord on the record, which expands the electricity even more! Loads of great numbers -- including "Mambo Sangria", "Fried Bananas", "Solar Heat", "Ode to Billy Joe", and Donato's great "Amazonas".

One of Cal Tjader's best albums ever -- and a sweetly electric side that features Joao Donato on organ and Gary McFarland on vibes! The record is a brilliant extension of Cal's styles at Verve -- a bit of Latin, a bit of jazz, with some easily grooving numbers that have just the right dose of funk! Donato's organ sounds especially great, and there's also some added electric piano and electric harpsichord on the record, which expands the electricity even more -- and gives the whole thing a really groovy sound! Loads of great numbers -- including "Mambo Sangria", "Fried Bananas", "Solar Heat", "Ode to Billy Joe", and Donato's great "Amazonas".

One of Cal Tjader's best albums ever -- and a sweetly electric side that features Joao Donato on organ and Gary McFarland on vibes! The record is a brilliant extension of Cal's styles at Verve -- a bit of Latin, a bit of jazz, with some easily grooving numbers that have just the right dose of funk! Donato's organ sounds especially great, and there's also some added electric piano and electric harpsichord on the record, which expands the electricity even more -- and gives the whole thing a really groovy sound! Loads of great numbers -- including "Mambo Sangria", "Fried Bananas", "Solar Heat", "Ode to Billy Joe", and Donato's great "Amazonas".

Very groovy 60s pop from Wendy & Bonnie -- with a bit of a folksy influence, and a sound that's groovy sunshine personified! The greatness herein is no surprise, considering that Gary McFarland arranged and produced the album as one of his late 60s forays from jazz into rock -- and you can hear Gary's strong talent for a subtle jazz-tinged sound on most of the album's best tracks. That said, Wendy & Bonnie deserve the biggest kudos, their lovely, easygoing harmonies providing the personality and the sweetness the really carries it all over. Beautiful! This deluxe edition from Sundazed includes the complete original album from 1968, plus a number of alternate vocal takes and an instrumental on the first disc. Album tracks include "Let Yourself Go Another Time", "The Paisley Window Pane", "Five O' Clock In The Morning", "The Winter Is Cold" and more, plus 7 bonus tracks with alternate versions and the instrumental version of "Let Yourself Go Another Time". Disc 2 features 17 tracks, including demo versions of album tunes and some groovy covers, live tracks and more. Titles include demos for "Children Laughing", "Years", "Eleanor Rigby", "December Sun" and more, the live cuts "We Can Work It Out", "The Paisley Window Pane" and more. Includes extensive liner notes by reissue producer Irwin Chusid. 34 tracks on 2CDs!

A rare gem from Zoot Sims -- very different than any of his other albums! The session features Zoot blowing over large backings arranged and conducted by Gary McFarland, a bit in the older Verve "with strings" mode, but also sparkling with a lot of the newer elements that McFarland was bringing to his work at the time. The approach is both light and lush at the same time -- and Zoot's got a tone and approach that we've never heard on any other record, making the whole album an incredible treat that we'd rank up there with Stan Getz's experiments of the same type from the 60s. Titles include "I Wish I Knew", "Does The Sun Really Shine On The Moon", "Once We Loved", "Old Folks", "September Song", "Stella By Starlight", and "Once I Could Have Loved".

An overlooked gem from the Verve bossa years -- a session that features the sweet tenor sax work of Stan Getz, alongside some swinging bossa arrangements from the great Gary McFarland! Given the strength of Gary's own work for Verve at the time, it's no surprise that he's a perfect accompanist for Getz on the session -- working with just the right amount of space to let Stan stand out from the pack, and really creating a great blend of Brazilian rhythms and some of the modder 60s styles at Verve. Gary contributed a number of originals to the session too -- and titles include "Bim Bom", "Manlancolico", "Balanco No Samba", "Noite Triste", "Chega De Saudade", and "Manha De Carnival".

One of Cal Tjader's best albums ever -- and a sweetly electric side that features Joao Donato on organ and Gary McFarland on vibes! The record is a brilliant extension of Cal's styles at Verve -- a bit of Latin, a bit of jazz, with some easily grooving numbers that have just the right dose of funk! Donato's organ sounds especially great, and there's also some added electric piano and electric harpsichord on the record, which expands the electricity even more -- and gives the whole thing a really groovy sound! Loads of great numbers -- including "Mambo Sangria", "Fried Bananas", "Solar Heat", "Ode to Billy Joe", and Donato's great "Amazonas".