Aside from
"My Favorite Things,"
jazz
musicians haven't been particularly drawn to songs from
The Sound of Music
, so the
Groovy Sound of Music
songbook by
Gary Burton
is quite a treat. Recorded in late 1964 for
RCA Victor
, the young vibraphonist's incredible four-mallet technique is already well developed.
Gary McFarland
contributed four of the charts, backing
Burton
with strings, flutes, a French horn, and a rhythm section. Among his arrangements are a swinging
"Climb Ev'ry Mountain"
and a gentle
bossa nova
treatment of
"An Ordinary Couple."
is also no slouch as an arranger. One highlight is the incredible interaction between the leader and
Bob Brookmeyer
's valve trombone and
Phil Wood
's hot clarinet in
"Maria."
Equally compelling is
's driving approach to
"My Favorite Things"
(a complex chart that doesn't resort to copying
John Coltrane
's well-known recording), which hardly sounds like the work of a 21 year old. Even better is his gorgeous solo rendition of
"Edelweiss."
~ Ken Dryden