Stan Getz
Albums
Some fierce live Getz. W/ Jimmy Raney (g), Al Haig (p), Teddy Kotick (b), and Tiny Kahn (d). ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
Stan Getz was one of the all-time great tenor-saxophonists. Throughout his career, Getz's beautiful tone was featured in many different [more]
On the Alamo*; On the Alamo; Gone With the Wind; Yesterdays; Sweetie Pie; You Go to My Head; Hershey Bar; Tootsie Roll; Strike up the Band; Imagination*; [more]
![West Coast Jazz [Membran]](/cache/JHS/no/130x130_no_photo_big.jpg)
Stan Getz had such a beautiful tone on his tenor that in the 1950s he was sometimes called "The Sound." While Getz did not spend all that much time on the [more]
One of the biggest-selling jazz albums of all time, not to mention bossa nova's finest moment, Getz/Gilberto trumped Jazz Samba by bringing two of bossa nova's greatest [more]
In spite of its rather bland album title, Recorded Fall 1961 is an overlooked masterpiece within the extensive discography of Stan Getz, not only because of his [more]
"You see, these things can be played with the string section of any symphony orchestra in the world, and they make great tour music…. The legitimacy of the past three hundred years and the soul of our modern times can be put together and be beautiful." —Stan Getz (in praise of composer Eddie Sauter)
A year or two shy of his bossa nova success, Stan Getz set his mind to improvising against a backdrop of darkish yet scintillating string charts. The orchestral muscle was provided by arranger [more]
Although the name Stan Getz (tenor sax) was initially synonymous with the West Coast cool scene during the mid-to-late 1950s, he likewise [more]
Stan Getz's final recording, a two-CD live set of duets with pianist Kenny Barron that was cut just three months before his death, finds the great tenor in surprisingly [more]
The only studio meeting between Stan Getz and Bill Evans took place over two days in 1964, with the aggressive drummer Elvin Jones and either Richard Davis or Ron [more]
Appearances
The classic songs of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart are rendered on this outstanding three-disc set, which features vocalists like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, [more]
This is not and cannot be the Complete Cole Porter Songbooks, but it's a marvelous collection of 48 timeless jazz interpretations drawn from the Verve catalog. [more]
One of the giants of American popular song gets his due with this three-disc Verve box, comprising a trio of separately released compilations. Though Mercer's [more]
This expansive four-disc anthology essentially covers the recorded history of the guitar in the 20th century, beginning with the ragtime banjo that set the [more]
Some fierce live Getz. W/ Jimmy Raney (g), Al Haig (p), Teddy Kotick (b), and Tiny Kahn (d). ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
A really cool CD, and one of the better Goodman volumes, despite its 16 songs being drawn from across five years (1941-1946). Most of the material is instrumental [more]
Stan Getz was one of the all-time great tenor-saxophonists. Throughout his career, Getz's beautiful tone was featured in many different [more]
Arthur Fiedler, one of the best-selling conductors in history and director of the Boston Pops for 50 years, summed up his uniquely programmed concerts [more]
On the Alamo*; On the Alamo; Gone With the Wind; Yesterdays; Sweetie Pie; You Go to My Head; Hershey Bar; Tootsie Roll; Strike up the Band; Imagination*; [more]
Woody Herman spent his twilight years recording for the Concord label, both with his big band and in all-star groups that he sponsored. For this 1998 sampler CD, Herman [more]
Biography
- Born Feb 2nd 1927 in Philadelphia, PA
- Died Jun 6th 1991 in Malibu, CA
One of the all-time great tenor saxophonists, Stan Getz was known as "The Sound" because he had one of the most beautiful tones ever heard. Getz, whose main early influence was Lester Young, grew to be a major influence himself and to his credit he never stopped evolving.
Getz had the opportunity to play in a variety of major swing big bands while a teenager due to the World War II draft. He was with Jack Teagarden (1943) when he was just 16, followed by stints with Stan Kenton (1944-1945), Jimmy Dorsey (1945), and Benny Goodman (1945-1946); he soloed on a few records with Goodman. Getz, who had his recording debut as a leader in July 1946 with four titles, became famous during his period with Woody Herman's Second Herd (1947-1949), soloing (along with Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward, and Serge Chaloff) on the original version of "Four Brothers" and having his sound well-featured on the ballad "Early Autumn." After leaving Herman, Getz was (with the exception of some tours with Jazz at the Philharmonic) a leader for the rest of his life.
During the early '50s, Getz broke away from the Lester Young style to form his own musical identity and he was soon among the most popular of all jazzmen. He discovered Horace Silver in 1950 and used him in his quartet for several months. After touring Sweden in 1951, he formed an exciting quintet that co-featured guitarist Jimmy Raney; their interplay on uptempo tunes and tonal blend on ballads were quite memorable. Getz's playing helped Johnny Smith have a hit in "Moonlight in Vermont"; during 1953-1954, Bob Brookmeyer made his group a quintet and, despite some drug problems during the decade, Getz was a constant poll winner. After spending 1958-1960 in Europe, the tenorman returned to the U.S. and recorded his personal favorite album, Focus, with arranger Eddie Sauter's Orchestra. Then, in February 1962, Getz helped usher in the bossa nova era by recording Jazz Samba with Charlie Byrd; their rendition of "Desafinado" was a big hit. During the next year, Getz made bossa nova-flavored albums with Gary McFarland's big band, {Luiz Bonfá}, and Laurindo Almeida, but it was Getz/Gilberto (a collaboration with Antonio Carlos Jobim and {João Gilberto}) that was his biggest seller, thanks in large part to "The Girl from Ipanema" (featuring the vocals of Astrud and {João Gilberto}).
Getz could have spent the next decade sticking to bossa nova, but instead he de-emphasized the music and chose to play more challenging jazz. His regular group during this era was a piano-less quartet with vibraphonist Gary Burton, he recorded with Bill Evans (1964), played throughout the 1965 Eddie Sauter soundtrack for {#Mickey One}, and made the classic album Sweet Rain (1967) with Chick Corea. Although not all of Getz's recordings from the 1966-1980 period are essential, he proved that he was not afraid to take chances. Dynasty with organist Eddie Louiss (1971), Captain Marvel with Chick Corea (1972), and The Peacocks with Jimmy Rowles (1975) are high points. After utilizing pianist Joanne Brackeen in his 1977 quartet, Getz explored some aspects of fusion with his next unit which featured keyboardist Andy Laverne. Getz even used an Echoplex on a couple of songs but, despite some misfires, most of his dates with this unit are worthwhile. However, purists were relieved when he signed with Concord in 1981 and started using a purely acoustic backup trio on most dates. Getz's sidemen in later years included pianists Lou Levy, Mitchell Forman, Jim McNeely, and Kenny Barron. His final recording, 1991's People Time, (despite some shortness in the tenor's breath) is a brilliant duet set with Barron.
Throughout his career Getz recorded as a leader for Savoy, Spotlite, Prestige, Roost, Verve, MGM, Victor, Columbia, SteepleChase, Concord, Sonet, Black Hawk, A&M, and EmArcy among other labels (not to mention sessions with Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, and Gerry Mulligan) and there are dozens of worthy records by the tenor currently available on CD. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
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