A pair of fantastic albums from vibes master and genius arranger Gary McFarland – back to back on a single CD! First up is The In Sound – 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". Soft Samba is 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)! (Jazz, Now Sound) CD

A beautiful Holiday classic from Herb – recorded for A&M during his glory years, and done in the core Tijuana Brass style, but with some added arrangements on voices and strings by Shorty Rogers! The album's worth it alone for Herb's great take on the Bacharach groover "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle" – but it also includes the tasty track "Las Mananitas", plus the holiday favorites "Winter Wonderland", "Jingle Bells", "The Christmas Song", "Sleigh Ride", "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" and "Jingle Bell Rock". 10 tracks in all, the perfect backdrop for the holiday office party! (Holiday Music, Now Sound) CD

A beautiful Holiday classic from Herb – recorded for A&M during his glory years, and done in the core Tijuana Brass style, but with some added arrangements on voices and strings by Shorty Rogers! The album's worth it alone for Herb's great take on the Bacharach groover "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle" – but it also includes the tasty track "Las Mananitas", plus the holiday favorites "Winter Wonderland", "Jingle Bells", "The Christmas Song", "Sleigh Ride", "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" and "Jingle Bell Rock". 10 tracks in all, the perfect backdrop for the holiday office party! (Holiday Music, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite-ever keyboard albums – a rare lost session from pianist Pete Jolly – one of his only electric dates, and a completely improvised set of grooves! Pete plays electric piano, organ, and even a bit of musette – jamming in the studio with help from Chuck Berghofer on bass, Paul Humphrey on drums , John Pisano on guitar, and Milt Holland and Emil Richards on percussion – all of whom bring in some sly, subtle touches to the grooves that are totally great! The album's much more open than other keyboard dates from the time – almost in the territory of some of Herbie Hancock's most experimental work, but a fair bit more groove-based too – given that the album's filled with short, funky tracks all the way through. There's some echoes of Bob James work to come – and given the 1970 date of the record, it could almost be said that Jolly predates a whole host of 70s keyboard talents – setting his mark with this uniquely laidback set of tracks. Titles include the classic "Plummer Park", plus "Rainbow", "Seasons", "Indian's Summer", "Pete Jolly", "Leaves", "Springs", "Bees", and "Sand Storm". (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite-ever keyboard albums – a rare lost session from pianist Pete Jolly – one of his only electric dates, and a completely improvised set of grooves! Pete plays electric piano, organ, and even a bit of musette – jamming in the studio with help from Chuck Berghofer on bass, Paul Humphrey on drums , John Pisano on guitar, and Milt Holland and Emil Richards on percussion – all of whom bring in some sly, subtle touches to the grooves that are totally great! The album's much more open than other keyboard dates from the time – almost in the territory of some of Herbie Hancock's most experimental work, but a fair bit more groove-based too – given that the album's filled with short, funky tracks all the way through. There's some echoes of Bob James work to come – and given the 1970 date of the record, it could almost be said that Jolly predates a whole host of 70s keyboard talents – setting his mark with this uniquely laidback set of tracks. Titles include the classic "Plummer Park", plus "Rainbow", "Seasons", "Indian's Summer", "Pete Jolly", "Leaves", "Springs", "Bees", and "Sand Storm". (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more masterful albums that Prado cut for RCA, and a thrilling set of tracks with a very haunting feel. The entirety of side one features the extended "Exotic Suite Of The Americas", which has a storming Latin sound, mixed with nice exotica touches. The flipside features shorter tracks, but also done in a manner that has a wide dynamic range, with some startling arrangements. Titles include "Son Of A Gun", "Mama Yo Quiero", and "El Relicario". (Latin, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary sound library set from the 70s Italian scene – exactly the kind of record that got so many folks digging for sound library funk so many years ago! The record's a masterpiece of funky rhythms, jazzy instrumentation, and warmer touches – served up with plenty of Fender Rhodes in the mix, plus sweet flute lines, wah wah guitar, and just the right use of strings to give the whole thing almost a blacksploitation vibe at times! The set was billed to the team of Jay Richford and Gary Stevan – but it's actually the product of better-known sound library maestros Sandro Brugnolini and Stefano Torossi, who work here at a level that's at the top of their powers. There's almost a cop/crime vibe to the record at times – and although some instruments solo at points, the real groove lies in the tight vamping of the orchestra – which hits all the right notes to really send the whole thing soaring – often with a nice use of tone and color too! Titles include "Flying High", "Fearing Much", "Going Home", "Running Fast", "Walking In The Dark", and "Feeling Tense". (Sound Library, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

Another masterpiece of RCA's Stereo Action series – billed on the front cover as "The Sound Your Eyes Can Follow"! Schory certainly gets in the spirit of the session – using a variety of percussion instrumentation to bounce between the right and left channels, coming up with a tweeter-popping batch of tunes that transform typical Broadway numbers into whimsical little instrumentals! Tracks include "El Sombrero", "I Got Rhythm", "Camelot", "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue", "Bali Hai", "Heat Wave",a nd "Show Me". LP, Vinyl record album