Stan Getz - CAPTAIN MARVEL

[JSngry]

Limited posting time today, but three bonus cuts and cleaner sound (I think a lot or all of the reverb's been removed, but have only done car listening so far, so...). Definitely one of Getz's finest, an early document of the classic "first" Return To Forever songbook, some monster Chick Corea (don't like electric piano? sorry...), and maybe, MAYBE the last "official" document of old-school Tony Williams cymbal swoosh. Essential, imo.

[couw]

when, where, by whom was this re-released?

[JSngry]

Sony/Columbia/Legacy/whatever. It's got a 2003 copyright date, but I'm thinking that's LATE 2003. I picked it up @ the Red Trumpet Super Bowl Sale for, like, $7.99, regularly $9.99 according to the site, I think.

I'm much digging this one, brings back old memories, and has already started making new ones. Stan is all over this shit like white on rice. And I don't care what nobody says, I DIG electric piano when it's like this. Clarke's pitch is a little weak, but hell, he was what, 12 at the time?

And Tony!

[couw]

this one has not (yet) hit european shores. hope it does.

Edited February 15, 2004 by couw

[ghost of miles]

Sounds cool, Jim. I've been on a bit of an electric piano kick anyway of late--yet more reason to check this out.

[jazzbo]

Sounds very good! Now if only Verve would reissue "Sweet Rain"---I've never heard that.

[ghost of miles]

BMG has it--there just went another one of my free music vouchers.

[Saint Vitus]

Jim, did the reverb in the CD version Columbia France put out? I don't remember there being one (but I'm an ocean away from my copy at this time). I got the reissue for the bonus tracks and I agree the sound quality has been improved.

Then again I've never been one to be bothered by poor sound ... The Sonny Rollins live recordings from the late 50s and the late 60s (just before the respective retirement periods) are usually horrible to listen to (especially the Denmark ones from '67) but they are some of the small number of discs (and tapes, the Jim kindly sent to me ) that get played repeatedly and often.

Sorry, I got off track a bit. This band seems to be dismissed by the critics rather swiftly, oftentimes lumped with Corea's own endeavors with RTF or with Stan's own dive into the popdom a few years later. I think they should just say the band sounds good and forget about whatever agenda they have.

np. The Smiths "Singles" ... What sweet tunes ... and such pathetic stories ... Wonder what Duke would have come up with if given these tales to work with in a commission

[JSngry]

Sorry, I got off track a bit. This band seems to be dismissed by the critics rather swiftly, oftentimes lumped with Corea's own endeavors with RTF or with Stan's own dive into the popdom a few years later.

From what I can remember, the "Captain Marvel Band" got very positive reviews at the time for its live gigs. It was a new sound for Getz, a compositional "breakthrough" for Corea, and positively recieved as such by most critics.

For some reason, CAPTAIN MARVEL (the album) sat in the CBS vaults for several years before finally being released, one of several albums (another being the Benny Goodman/George Benson date) that were the subject of occasional but ongoing "wait until you hear this, IF you ever get to hear it" type "teasers" in Down Beat & a few other jazz pubs at the time.

The album was recorded beofre the first ECM RTF album, I believe, but wasn't released until after RTF had been through several morphings, I'm thinking that by the time CAPTAIN MARVEL was released, RTF was well into its overwrought and bloated Gayle Moran/horn section days. So, yeah, hindsight must have been bitter.