 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.
Stan
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 and this was followed
by stints with Stan Kenton (1944-45), Jimmy Dorsey (1945) and Benny
Goodman (1945-46); he soloed on a few records with BG. 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
(1947-49), 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 was
quite memorable. Getz's playing helped Johnny Smith have a hit in
"Moonlight in Vermont," during 1953-54 Bob Brookmeyer made his group
a quintet and, despite some drug problems during the decade, Getz
was a constant pollwinner. After spending 1958-60 in Europe, the
tenorman returned to the U.S. and recorded his personal favorite
album, Focus, with arranger Eddie Sauter's Orchestra. Then
in Feb. 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 Bonfa and Laurindo Almeida,
but it was Getz/Gilberto (a collaboration with Antonio
Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto) that was his biggest seller, thanks
in large part to "The Girl from Ipanema" (featuring the vocals of
Astrud and Joao Gilberto).
1.collaboration: n. 协作, 通敌
Stan
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 pianoless 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 1966-80
period are essential, he proved that he was not shy to take chances.
Dynasty with organist Eddie Louiss (1971), Captain Marvel
with Chick Corea (1972) and The Peacocks with Jimmy Rowles
(1975) are highpoints. 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.
1.vibraphonist: n. 电颤演奏家
Throughout
his career Stan 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
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