Stan Getz is one of the most highly regarded tenor saxophone players in jazz history. Whether playing bebop or classical, or something in between, Stan Getz lent a stylishness to his music that was difficult to categorise, but always full of passion.
Getz was born to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents on February 2, 1927, in Philadelphia. He was something of a child prodigy, and played several reed instruments before settling for the saxophone.
By the age of 15, he was playing professionally, and within a year made his first record. During World War II, when the involvement of older musicians in the military allowed younger ones to break through, he worked in the bands of Jack Teagarden, Stan KENTON, Jimmy Dorsey and Benny GOODMAN. His early playing was based on the approach of Lester YOUNG, but was allied to a brilliant technique. In 1947, Getz became internationally recognised when he was showcased as one of the original Four Brothers in Woody Herman’s band, alongside saxophonists Zoot Sims, Serge Chaloff, and Herbie Steward (who was later replaced by Al Cohn). Getz’s solo allowed him, at a uniquely young age, to lead his own groups, in the company of future stars such as pianist Horace SILVER and drummer Roy Haynes. Jazz was discovering bebop at about the same time it first heard Getz, but he could no more be classified as a bop player than he could be restricted to the “cool” school, which attracted a lot of attention in the early 1950s.
Getz scored another jazz hit in 1952, in a duo take (with guitarist Johnny Smith) of the ballad “Moonlight in Vermont.” Getz’s association with legendary producer Norman GRANZ spawned tours and recordings and put the tenor player in the excellent company of trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, trumpeter Dizzy GILLESPIE, and pianist Oscar Peterson. During the early 1950s, Getz was often teamed on record with other top jazz names, such as Art TATUM and Lionel Hampton, some involving the saxophonist’s original compositions. In the late 1950s, he backed off the jazz scene, living with his second wife, Monika, in her native Sweden. On returning to the U.S., he bolstered his reputation and fame with the album Focus, conceived by composer-arranger Eddie Sauter as a juxtaposition of Getz’s stylish sax with a string section, the effect in some aspects closer to classical music than to jazz.
In 1962, Getz made the single, “Desafinado,” prompted by guitarist Charlie Byrd’s search for a horn with a “human voice.” Based on Brazilian bossa nova harmonies and rhythms, “Desafinado” proved to be a surprise hit and Getz went on to make a series of albums based on bossa nova and other Latin material. “The Girl from Ipanema” (written by Antonio Carlos JOBIM in 1964), was the biggest hit and served (with help from guitarist Byrd and singer Astrud Gilberto) to set off a brief but resounding interest in Brazilian styles among Americans and Europeans. Getz’s breathy, smooth sound and the delicate floating effect he created proved extremely popular. His tone was, and remained, a sound unique unto itself.
During the mid-1960s, Getz led groups that featured leading younger musicians, including vibraphone player Gary BURTON and pianist Chick COREA. He also explored American pop material, alienating jazz purists but validating his love of melody for those willing to listen. His recording and performing colleagues over the next decade ranged from film composer Michel LEGRAND to fusion groups. More fusion sessions followed in the 1970s, but in 1981 Getz returned to acoustic jazz on the Concord label. In his later years, he continued recording his gentle but passionate trademark tone, and performed for enthusiastic live audiences until his death from cancer in June 1991.
Jeff Kaliss
SEE ALSO:
JAZZ; LATIN AMERICA; LATIN JAZZ.
Maggin, Donald L. Stan Getz: A Life in Jazz
(New York: W. Morrow & Co., 1996);
Palmer, Richard. Stan Getz
(London: Apollo, 1988).
At the Shrine; Best of the Roost Years;
Focus; Stan Getz Live at Midem ′80;
Stan Getz Poetry;
Stan Getz Voyage; Sweet Rain.