Urban Wonderland, Vibes and Piano
Bill Evans's delicate, decorative touch floats through McFarland's orchestral vibes-and-strings world.
The Gary McFarland Orchestra, recorded in early 1963 for Verve, is a record where the guest is the thing you notice first. Bill Evans is the featured soloist, and his presence is what makes an album under McFarland's name worth hearing alongside his own trio work. Evans had a long habit of working well with vibraphonists, as his earlier records with Eddie Costa and Dave Pike showed, and here his touch is delicate and sparkling, mostly decorative rather than confrontational.
The music itself leans toward a big urban soundtrack. Pieces range from quasi-classical writing to open-ended ensemble constructions in the manner of Duke Ellington, where the arranged passages set up the solos and the solos break back out into the arrangement. McFarland's own vibraphone playing is simple and pleasant rather than virtuosic, and the orchestration carries most of the weight.
AllMusic reviewer Douglas Payne called the compositions first-rate and said Evans buoys the whole event with his graceful, individual style. For a listener, this is a good entry point into McFarland's orchestral side and an easy way to hear Evans in a setting outside the trio. It is not the place to start for either man's core work, but it is a pleasant, well-made record for anyone who likes the sound of 1960s orchestral jazz.
Who's playing
Richard Davisbass
Bill Evanspiano
Jim Hallguitar
Ed Shaughnessydrums
Gary McFarlandvibraphone
Julien Barberviola
Allan Goldbergviola
Aaron Juveliercello
Spencer Sinatrawoodwind
Joseph Tekulacello
Phil Woodsclarinet
Where next?
More by Bill Evans
Portrait in Jazz 1960
Everybody Digs Bill Evans 1959
You Must Believe in Spring 1981
New Jazz Conceptions 1957
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
