| Soft Samba | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1965 | |||
| Recorded | June 15 and 16, September 3 & October 7, 1964 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 28:57 | |||
| Label | Verve - 8603 [1] | |||
| Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
| Gary McFarland chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
Soft Samba is a 1964 album by jazz arranger and vibraphonist Gary McFarland. A follow up album, Soft Samba Strings , was released in 1966. [2]
The initial Billboard magazine review from February 20, 1965 wrote that even though "A pair of stretch socks, two ounces of sherry, and a "Soft Samba" cocktail recipe" were being used to promote the album, it would "curry favor with the public without the promotion incentives" and "The artist's humming helps too". [3] Boys' Life magazine wrote that "You'd think that the artists in this album couldn't talk because all you hear is "Ba-ba, baya-baya, byu-byu" and so on with little relief. The results are unique (as you'd expect) but pleasing...We found the wedding of the soft samba to rock 'n' roll a joyous union thanks to the musical ministry of Mr. McFarland". [4]
John Alfred Mandel was an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. The musicians he worked with include Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Diane Schuur and Shirley Horn. He won five Grammy Awards - from 17 nominations; his first nomination was for his debut film score for the multi-nominated 1958 film I Want to Live!
"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written and sung by John Lennon and released on the album Help! in August 1965.
"In My Life" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It appeared on their 1965 album Rubber Soul. Its lyrics were written primarily by John Lennon, credited to Lennon–McCartney. George Martin contributed the piano solo bridge.
"And I Love Her" is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles, written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It is the fifth track of their third UK album A Hard Day's Night and was released 20 July 1964, along with "If I Fell", as a single release by Capitol Records in the United States, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Stars on 45" is a song medley issued in January 1981 by Dutch studio group Stars on 45. In some countries, including the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand, the band was credited as 'Starsound' and only the medley itself was named "Stars on 45".
Hugh Carmine McCracken was an American rock guitarist and session musician based in New York City, primarily known for his performance on guitar and also as a harmonica player. McCracken was additionally an arranger and record producer.
Gary Robert McFarland was an American composer, arranger, vibraphonist and vocalist. He recorded for the jazz imprints Verve and Impulse! Records during the 1960s. Down Beat magazine said he made "one of the more significant contributors to orchestral jazz". A 2015 review of a McFarland DVD documentary called him "one of the busiest New York jazz arrangers of the 1960s". The review further stated that McFarland's "ascendance coincided with the rise of bossa nova, and McFarland was adept at translating the mercurial song form into orchestrations. He wrote some beautiful orchestral settings for great soloists, yet wasn’t immune to commercial forces."
The Shadow of Your Smile is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released by Mercury Records in March 1966, and included covers of the same two Beatles songs that would be in stores one month later on an Andy Williams album of the same name. Mathis also tackled recent easy listening fare on this album in addition to show tunes from On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and West Side Story.
Love Is Blue is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on March 6, 1968, by Columbia Records and adhered even more strictly to the concept of the "cover" album of recent hits than its predecessor in that five of the 10 songs selected for the project were chart hits for the original artists within the previous year and another three had charted within the previous decade. Even the two remaining selections that did not bring chart success to the original artists were by the hit songwriting teams of Burt Bacharach and Hal David and John Lennon and Paul McCartney and left no room for the usual inclusion of some original songs or material from Broadway.
Pop Artistry of Sarah Vaughan is a 1966 studio album by Sarah Vaughan that was arranged by Luchi de Jesus.
Lena & Gabor is an album by American vocalist Lena Horne and Hungarian guitarist Gábor Szabó, arranged and produced by Gary McFarland. It was recorded in 1969 and released on the Skye label. The album was Lena Horne's first album release in four years and saw her return to the charts with the single "Watch What Happens". The Skye Records label declared bankruptcy in 1970 and the backcatalog was acquired by Buddha Records and the album was re-issued in 1971 as Watch What Happens.
1969 is an album by Hungarian guitarist Gábor Szabó featuring performances recorded in 1969 and released on the Skye label. This album is peaked #143 on Billboard 200 on 1969/08/16.
Big Band Bossa Nova is a 1962 album by saxophonist Stan Getz with the Gary McFarland Orchestra. The album was arranged and conducted by Gary McFarland and produced by Creed Taylor for Verve Records. This was Getz's second bossa nova album for Verve following Jazz Samba, his very successful collaboration with guitarist Charlie Byrd.
The in Sound is a 1965 album by jazz arranger and vibraphonist Gary McFarland.
A Touch of Today is a 1966 studio album by singer Nancy Wilson arranged by Sid Feller and Oliver Nelson and produced by Dave Cavanaugh.
Soft Samba Strings is a 1965 album by jazz arranger and vibraphonist Gary McFarland.
New Look! is a 1967 album by George Shearing accompanied by his quintet and a string orchestra.
Interprets Great Music Great Films Great Sounds is an album by American composer and arranger Nelson Riddle of songs from contemporaneous motion pictures. The album also contains five songs from the 1935 Rodgers and Hart musical Jumbo, as well as a Roger Edens song written for the 1962 film version of the same musical.
White on White, Shangri-La, Charade & Other Hits of 1964 is an album by American composer and arranger Nelson Riddle of songs from contemporaneous motion pictures. It was released in May 1964.
Keely Smith Sings the John Lennon—Paul McCartney Songbook is an album by the American singer Keely Smith of music written by the songwriting partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. The album was successful in the United Kingdom.