Customer Reviews

America The Beautiful: An Account of its Disappearance

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Approximately 38 min. Good sound. This recording,from 1968,reflects the ideas of it's time. All during his life McFarland watched what he thought was the deterioration of his country. From unspoiled land that was cleared for development,to the violence and crowding of big cities,he felt the old America of his ideal was lost forever. This music is his lament for America. Utilizing a large orchestra and small group made up primarily of jazz players,he arranged this music into a very satisfying whole. One look at the titles of the pieces will let you know his views on a changing country. The orchestra and small group are intertwined in the arrangements in the various movements. This is music that even today has a place in how we view our surroundings. There is an ebb and flow to the arrangements that constantly change and propel the music forward. This is certainly his most personal and important work. If you're the type of person who likes big band jazz,stellar arranging and music with a great deal to say,buy this. This kind of thing comes along very rarely.

My father introduced me to the music of Gary McFarland when I was in my early teens. As raised on Jazz and big band (Quincy, Ellington, Maynard Ferguson, etc), I found this album to be absolutely mind blowing on 1968, as it still is now, over 40 yrs later. It is quite ambitious in scope and still sounds very fresh-way ahead of it's time. The arrangements are powerful, the song melodies have traces of "West Side Story" all over them (in a good way), yet this is certainly no exploitation of that fine score. Key musicians include Jerome Richardson, Eric Gale, Bernard Purdie, Chuck Rainey. Eric Gale's screaming electric guitar provides & dominates the rock elements, and Eric was one of the most blusey flavored Jazz guitarists around. Grady Tate's drumming is steady and superb. But, for me, it's the shimmering brass, and the stellar production that stand out. ("80 Miles An Hour Thru Beer Can Country" is just killer). Originally recorded for McFarland's own custom label, Skye, this is complex harmonic Jazz fusion of a different breed. It has bite, it is cynical, it's humorous at moments, brooding and majestic, and at monents very in the pocket funky for lack of better tems to describe the music. I still have my vinyl LP, but the CD remaster is stunning in sound quality. Get this if you enjoy orchestral music that makes you think. It paints a sonic landscape of an America that once was, but isn't anymore. Gary, you are sorely missed...