This year marks the 90th. anniversary of the birth of Stan Getz - one of the truly great tenor saxophonists & band leaders who worked his way up through the ranks to become (and if he were alive today he'd probably hate me for saying it) a by word in Bossa Nova and Samba: in 1964 he recorded the definitive version of The Girl from Ipanema with Astrud Gilberto.He started out as a foot soldier in Jack Teagarden's band in the forties and later with Woody Herman and Stan Kenton, before branching out on his own. He would go on to make many career defining albums with other jazz luminariess including Chet Baker, Oscar Peterson and Gerry Mulligan.
Never one to be type cast, in 1990 he teamed up with Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn to lay down a beautiful solo on The Road, taken from Everything but the Girl's fifth album The Language of Life. Getz sadly died the following year aged just 64.
Amazon are currently selling an eight album, four CD box set for a little over seven quid. What's not to like? You really should take the plunge.
Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd - Desafinado
Stan Getz (1927-1991)
What a lovely clip to start to a Saturday morning with - I only found out about Stan Getz (properly) last year when doing a bit of research for Brazilian songs for an Olympics post. I also discovered that Bossa Nova translated is New Wave (but a very different kind from ours!).
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read that he'd worked with EBTG I thought to myself he must have been a fair age at that point, then quickly computed that he was only 63, and dead a year later! It suddenly doesn't sound very old at all which is incredibly scary.
And like so many jazz musicians from that era, a troubled soul. Zoom Sims once said of him 'A nice bunch of fellas' referring to his many personalities - not all good.
DeleteGetz embraced change. Witness his fantastic 1974 fusion LP 'Captain Marvel', where his band consisted of Miles Davis/Return to Forever alumni Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Airto Moreira and Tony Williams.
ReplyDeleteHe did indeed. And he always surrounded himself with musicians who fired him up.
DeleteThanks for the heads up, John. I'm heading over, now.
ReplyDeleteNice one Martin. Did you get the note I left for you over at C's place this morning?
DeleteJust picked it up, John. I've no idea why comments disappear like that. Do keep trying. It's always good to know there's someone trying the door.
DeleteJohn, I think I may have fixed the problem. Have another go, if you will. Cheers.
ReplyDelete