Gary McFarland to be Featured on WBGO

Despite having recorded a number of great albums for Verve and Impulse! in the 1960s and working with stars like Bill Evans, Stan Getz and Anita O’Day, vibist/composer/arranger Gary McFarland (pictured) remains a forgotten name in jazz. That’s unfortunate. McFarland’s skills on the vibes were considerable. And he wrote clever, emotional music that deserves far more recognition than it has received.

Perhaps a few heads will be turned on to McFarland’s sound this Sunday night when Newark, N.J. radio station WGBO-FM (88.3) spotlights the vibist on their “Jazz From the Archives” program. The hour-long show begins at 11 p.m. and will also be broadcast from www.wbgo.org so that those outside the Newark area may enjoy it as well.

The program will feature ten recordings of McFarland’s writing for O’Day, Getz, Gerry Mulligan, J.J. Johnson, Steve Kuhn and Zoot Sims, plus pieces from his own albums, which include solos from Evans, Jim Hall, Jimmy Raney, Zoot Sims, Clark Terry, and Phil Woods.

Originally Published May 3, 2002