Gary Mcfarland The In Sound

The only album ever cut by conga player Armando Peraza - the killer percussionist who worked with Cal Tjader in the 60s! The album's got a very similar feel to Cal's work of the time - blending together jazz, Latin, and groovy 60s rhythms - with lots of percussion on the bottom, and instrumentation that includes electric piano, funky flute, and some nice alto sax. Most tracks have the off-center sound that you'd expect from the Skye label - and arrangements are by Cal and Gary McFarland, so you know the tunes are pretty darn great! Titles include a mix of originals like "Viva Pereza" and "Granny's Samba", plus covers like "Wild Thing" and "Funky Broadway".

This whopping 17-cut collection by über guitarist Montgomery will be of interest not only to hardcore fans (for its amazing sound) but also for the beat hunters, soul-jazz fans, and groove collectors everywhere. The material was all recorded between 1964 and 1968. It features Montgomery during one of his most creative periods, when he was working at making his own brand of sophisticated soul-jazz marketable to a larger orchestra - sometimes to the chagrin of dedicated hard bop fans. The experimentation, in terms of material as well as production, is staggering as evidenced here. Some of the players backing Wes include trombonist Urbie Green, drummer Grady Tate, conga legends Ray Barretto and Candido, percussionist Willie Bobo, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassists Richard Davis and Ron Carter…