Stan Getz - Your Favorite Albums

[AllenLowe]

to me Focus is a perfect example of what Paul Bley was talking about years ago when he mention how on certain kinds of more advanced pieces the soloists' language was not up to the composer's language - meaning that a jazz soloist might be faced with some very complex and advanced piece, and would respond with the usual bebop lines.

To me Focus is a variation on this problem - beautiful work by Sauter, and Getz hasn't a clue as to what to do with the material; for one example, I remember that on one piece he repeats the same diminished scale over and over again as though this is some kind of major tonal discovery for him.

This has always bothered me.

[fasstrack]

I disagree about Getz's playing on Focus. The solos, especially on I'm Late and Her, take their material from the compositions and their moods, hardly pre-fab. Stan's job was to fill out the spaces left open in otherwise stand-alone pieces. (Read Eddie Sauter's liner note comments). Stan is listening all the way and responding, not hung up in bebop, diminished scales, or any other kind of cliches.

[Larry Kart]

What I don't like about "Focus" (and I like a good deal of it) are the moments when Getz begins to make his then prevalent "mooing"/"whining" gestures. Such timbral signs of overt emotion make me gag when they come from most any player, but from Stan they really seem pasted on.

[AllenLowe]

then you must love that moo-ing thing Cannonball used to do.

I just cannot listen to Getz; to me he ruins Focus, also Mickey One.

[fasstrack]

Who, and what tunes are on Forest Eyes?

[alocispepraluger102]

the cd version of the mickey one film soundtrack is one of the most sensitive and seemingly schizoid collections ever. it was recorded only days after getz' fathers death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jrRUg4pvQns

Edited April 26, 2013 by alocispepraluger102

[alocispepraluger102]

i loved focus for 5 or 6 years when it was new; then i couldn't stand it.

tenor man ernie krivda recorded a notable note by note interpretation at severance hall, titled focus on stan getz which is very listenable.

no matter what i think of the getz focus recording, i will forever love this one segment.

Edited April 26, 2013 by alocispepraluger102

[sgcim]

the cd version of the mickey one film soundtrack is one of the most sensitive and seemingly schizoid collections ever. it was recorded only days after getz' fathers death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jrRUg4pvQns

I loved that movie!!! Does anyone know who the guitar player was in the club scenes?

TIA

[ArtSalt]

Who, and what tunes are on Forest Eyes?

Tunes are:

We Are Free

Tails Part 1 + 2

Shades of Blue

Heron's Flight

Forest Eyes

Drowsy

Silva

Little Lady

Eye of the Storm

Musicians were mainly Dutch session musicians:

Piano: Rob Van Kreeveld

Bass: Koos Serierse

Drums: Victor Jones/Jurre Haanstra

Guitar: Chuck Loeb

Synthesizer - Peter Schon

It's a very nice mixture of Jazz FM friendly fusion, film music, strings and even some elements of disco on one of the tracks. It shouldn't actually work at all, but some lovely solos by Getz makes this an unusual almost ambient mood music album. Well worth checking out.

[AllenLowe]

well, at least we can all agree on one thing: Stan was a great human being.

[fasstrack]

Thank you ArtSalt.

[alocispepraluger102]

sweet rain from the late 60s is one of my favs. with chick or herbie at piano, ron carter at bass, and tate, i think, at drums.........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=aRbqs6MdYiQ

Edited April 27, 2013 by alocispepraluger102

[Guy Berger]

sweet rain from the late 60s is one of my favs. with chick or herbie at piano, ron carter at bass, and tate, i think, at drums.........

It's a great one. Love this version of Chick's "Windows".

[sgcim]

I liked Stan's quote when he got sick of playing the modern stuff he was playing in the 70s," I'm through playing that "Chick Corea and his space monkeys" music..."

[flat5]

I've always liked the playing on Focus but hate the mics or the equalization. The strings are very harsh.

For me, Getz was one of the finest saxophonists and jazz musicians who ever lived.

To focus on a couple of cliches that he liked and dismiss him for that...

or to dismiss him for being too perfect...

What some people want from music is so foreign to me.

[ArtSalt]

^I don't think anyone has dismissed him, everyone's a fan from what I can see(?).

But yes, compared with the sax playing of someone like Art Pepper, he was pretty much too perfect.

[flat5]

There have been some sax players who were more perfect than not.

Guys who always swing, play in tune, articulate very cleanly, never play a wrong note and say something.

It amazes me. Some who do: Getz Pepper Sims Woods Desmond Konitz Henderson Hodges ...

Others almost there: Shank L. Thompson Byas Golson ...

I must be forgetting lots of people, I know.

I don't require my heroes to be constantly pushing the edge.

[Larry Kart]

There have been some sax players who were more perfect than not.

Guys who always swing, play in tune, articulate very cleanly, never play a wrong note and say something.

It amazes me. Some who do: Getz Pepper Sims Woods Desmond Konitz Henderson Hodges ...

Others almost there: Shank L. Thompson Byas Golson ...

I must be forgetting lots of people, I know.

I don't require my heroes to be constantly pushing the edge.

I love Konitz, but if you think he plays in tune consistently.... As Lee himself readily admits, he plays sharp a great deal, especially in recent years, albeit to achieve what he feels are legitimate musical ends.

[John L]

I liked Stan's quote when he got sick of playing the modern stuff he was playing in the 70s," I'm through playing that "Chick Corea and his space monkeys" music..."

I never heard that one before.

The 70s music was usually quite interesting and often engaging. But I am happy that Getz changed directions in the 80s. The 1980s are certainly my favorite vintages of Stan.

[fasstrack]

Can't hold it against Stan for playing so perfectly. Sure, he had his predestined solo approaches and licks (as did Sonny Stitt and other players so smooth technically critics call them glib) but it's not as if there's no poetry or humanity there. If he were ice cold no one would be talking about him today.

Edited April 29, 2013 by fasstrack

[flat5]

For someone who is not the least bit flexible I'm pretty good at putting my foot in my mouth :-)

[Larry Kart]

FWIW, I believe that Miles is on record as a fan of Getz's ballad playing, its melodicism in particular, and we know that Miles is never wrong.

[AllenLowe]

Miles said, IIRC, he admired Getz's patience with ballads, his ability to not rush them, melodically or rhythmically.

Still can't listen to him, however.

Edited April 28, 2013 by AllenLowe

[Guy Berger]

I liked Stan's quote when he got sick of playing the modern stuff he was playing in the 70s," I'm through playing that "Chick Corea and his space monkeys" music..."

I think that's an odd comment. Some of Jim McNeely and Marc Johnson's compositions that Getz played during the 80s were mildly adventurous too, not unlike Chick's.

[Daniel A]

I liked Stan's quote when he got sick of playing the modern stuff he was playing in the 70s," I'm through playing that "Chick Corea and his space monkeys" music..."

I think that's an odd comment. Some of Jim McNeely and Marc Johnson's compositions that Getz played during the 80s were mildly adventurous too, not unlike Chick's.

Well, maybe he didn't realize until the 80s that he actually liked playing space monkeys music?

Personally, I'm still most fond of the first three bossa nova recordings (Byrd/McFarland/Gilberto). I can't think of anyone else I would have wanted to hear instead of Getz in that setting.