Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
In today's Wall Street Journal, I write about Gary McFarland, one of the most dynamic and charismatic jazz arrangers of the 1960s (go here). McFarland died 43 years ago this week when he consumed liquid methodone at 55 Bar on New York's Christopher Street. It's unclear whether the methadone was slipped into his drink without his knowledge or he was urged to drink it by his two drinking buddies. Whatever the case, McFarland died of a heart attack not long after consuming the synthetic heroin, while one of his friends, writer David Burnett, slipped into a coma and died days later. Only drummer Gene Gammage survived, but barely. Today, his whereabouts are unknown.
Now, a new CD/DVD set of McFarland's music and a 2006 documentary about his life is being released today—This Is Gary McFarland: The Jazz Legend Who Should Have Been a Pop Star (Century 67) (go here). The CD features a previously unreleased live recording of the Gary McFarland Quintet in 1965 while the DVD documentary includes rare film of McFarland as well as interviews with his widow, Gene Lees and many others. The film looks at McFarland's career as well as his poisoning.
Rather than get into much more on McFarland's biography, since it's all in today's WSJ and in the new CD/DVD set, I thought I'd turn you on to the genius of his music:
Here's McFarland's arrangement of Weep, recoded by the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band in 1961...
Here's Anita O'Day singing A Woman Alone With the Blues in October 1961...
Here's McFarland's I Believe in You from his album, How to Succeed in Business (1961)...
Here's Stan Getz with McFarland's arrangement of Bim Bomfrom Getz's Big Band Bossa Nova (1962)...
Here's Nancy Harrow singing Song for the Dreamer, with McFarland's arrangement and Phil Woods on clarinet...
Here's Bill Evans playing Peachtree from The Gary McFarland Orchestra With Bill Evans (1963)...
Used with permission by Marc Myers
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