When composer, arranger, singer and vibraphonist Gary McFarland died in 1971 he was 38 and contemplating a career writing and arranging for the movies. As the image-capturing themes on this very listenable album prove, it would have been a logical next step. He already had a fistful of atmospheric orchestral jazz albums under his belt, mostly for the Verve and Impulse! labels. And, in some ways, there was something movie-like about his life. He was self-taught and, among other things, had worked in minor-league baseball and as a wine sommelier before going to Berklee in 1959. His early death was due to someone spiking his drink with methadone in a NYC bar. Drummer/leader Michael Benedict captures something of this adventurous polymath spirit on a set of covers featuring his regular trio and two front-line guests. Saxophonist Sharel Cassidy plays pure lines with a clear dry tone, but it is vibraphonist Joe Locke who turns in a star performance and makes the album a cut above. Check out ‘Blue Hodge’ for an in-the-pocket blues or the unaccompanied ‘Last Rites for the Promised Land’ for controlled vibraphone balladry. Elsewhere, the band turns up the heat on the title ‘Circulation’ and the opener ‘Dragonhead’ features a McCoylike Bruce Barth on piano. A spirited reminder of a serious jazz talent whose legacy deserves to be better known.