The October Suite
An often overlooked gem from the Impulse catalog,The October Suiteis a sensitive collaboration between two different sensibilities: Steve Kuhn's avant-garde piano solos and Gary McFarland's classically-tinged scores for strings and woodwinds.  While many attempts at merging classical and jazz were failures that bore little fruit,October Suitesucceeded magnificently. McFarland's scores starkly evoke the autumnal melancholy of the month of October, while Kuhn's piano darts around poking at and expanding on the themes set forth by the composer. This is challenging music that isn't challenging to listen to and it's nice to see this classic album back in print.--Kristian St. Clair