America the Beautiful - Stunning Patriotic Decor for Home, Office & Gifts | USA Flag-Themed Wall Art & Souvenirs

Gary Mcfarland was one of the most unique band leaders in jazz in the 1960s. His orchestrations were not unlike the music you heard on TV cop shows, or other background music of the period. This is not a knock at all, because most of that music had jazz undertones. It was a compact, non-expermental jazz, but had interesting progressions, and a lot of it was regarded as commercial or "fake" but listening now, you realize it was really compelling musicAmerica The Beautiful is a great example of the sound Mcfarland developed during this period. The album is an orchestral suite of this popular-meets-creative type of jazz.The title is ironic: in 1968, you had King and Kennedy gunned down, a major defeat in the Tet offancive, and the Chicago insuresction and police riot, all in a couple months. The red white and blue sitcom had become surreal and violent. (The only period I can think of in my lifetime comperable to this is 9/11 and the anthrax letters comming on top of one another) Even LBJ didn't want to deal with America The Beutiful anymore. A pig was nominated to take his placeThe music is mournful, dramatic, hopeful, and darkly funny, all at once. There are big cracendos, flickering moments of quiet, and rascalish little asides, like suburbian kids sneaking joints in the garage. The trumpet playing stands out: there is nothing like a rising trumpet to convey joy, a sinking trumpet to convey sadness, or a softly played trumpet to convey uncertianty. Mcfarland really knew how to capture mood, and what greater expectation can we have of any artist.1968 is long gone, but this music is still great, a study in mood and atmosphere that will never stop being a wonderful listen, on its own terms.This album is not that obscure; I'm suprised i am the only guy to have reviewed it.