Capri is a small Jazz label based in Boulder, Colorado. This is its fifth Single Inventory Hybrid Stereo SACD release. As with the prior SACDs, the Hybrid Stereo Super Audio CD serves as both the Super Audio CD and CD Audio release of the album.

Wish Me Well: Reflections on Gary McFarland
Mark Masters Ensemble
SACD Stereo/CD Audio
(Capri Records 74078-2)

Gary McFarland was best known as a jazz composer and arranger who worked with Gerry Mulligan and his Jazz Band. He died at the age of 38 in 1971. Wish Me Well features 11 McFarland compositions arranged by Mark Masters and performed by some of the best musicians in Jazz today.

Masters describes the project as “A culmination of something that started almost thirty years ago when Roger Rickson put Gary McFarland’s LP Today into my hands. A gifted arranger, wonderful tunesmith and musical chameleon, McFarland was a person who put his stamp of individuality on everything he touched. Had he lived longer and continued to grow musically, he would be held in the same high esteem today as Bob Brookmeyer, Bill Holman and Gil Evans. The immediacy of his writing and the poignant nature of hos songs, many of them tinged with more than a bit of melancholy, is undeniable.”

Wish Me Well was Produced by Thomas Burns of the American Jazz Institute, Engineered and Mixed by Talley Sherwood and Mastered for SACD and CD by David Glasser of Airshow Mastering in Boulder, Colorado. The album was recorded in Glendora, California on November 7-8, 2005. Unlike earlier Capri SACDs which come packaged in a CD Jewel Box, this one comes in a Digipak with a bright yellow cover.

Sonically, Wish Me Well is a real treat when listening to the Stereo SACD tracks. The album is well recorded and mastered. The album features excellent dynamic range, stereo separation and placement of the instruments. Track 5 (Gary’s Waltz) and Track 6 (Tree Patterns) are highlights on the album. Both feature good detailing of the instruments and some excellent placement of the band in the soundfield. Jazz fans will definitely enjoy this Stereo Super Audio CD.

Musicians
Steve Kuhn – Piano
Derek Oles – Bass
Joe La Barbera – Drums
Gary Smulyan – Baritone Saxophone
Tim Hagans – Trumpet
Dave Woodley – Trombone
Gary Foster – Alto & Soprano Saxophone, Alto Flute & Bass Clarinet
Stephanie O’Keefe – French Horn
John Reilly – Tenor Saxophone & Bassoon
Bill Roper – Tuba
Bob Carr – Bass Clarinet Tracks

Album Selections
1. Tree Tops
2. Monk’s Sphere
3. Weep
4. Kitch
5. Gary’s Waltz
6. Tree Patterns
7. Summer Day
8. I Love To Say Her Name
9. Why Are You Blue?
10. Chiggin’
11. Wish Me Well

4 Earlier Hybrid Stereo SACDs from Capri Records
As noted earlier, Capri Records has issued 4 earlier Single Inventory Hybrid Stereo Super Audio CDs. If you enjoy well recorded Jazz, you’ll want to visit the Capri Records web site and consider adding some of these SACDs to your collection as well.