Stan Getz - Early recordings for Verve

The December, 1952 sessions that formed the original Stan Getz Plays LP marked the beginning of one of the most prolific and productive relationships between an artist and the same record company in jazz story. For twenty years, from 1952 to 1972, Stan Getz recorded more than 50 albums for Verve, albums that form a body of work as distinguished as any recorded jazz.

The twelve performances that comprise Stan Getz Plays are superb examples of the fluid, swinging and highly melodic approach to standards Getz favored in this period. Jimmy Raney's guitar and Duke Jordan's piano are the perfect complement to Stan's tenor.

A couple of years ago a new jazz star came into prominence in the jazz world. The name of this star: Stan Getz. Of course, the punch line is that Stan Getz is not "new", but has actually been on the jazz scene for over fifteen years, and has played with many of the great bands, among them Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, and Benny Goodman. He currently leads his own quintet.

Although Stan's approach in many ways is similar to that of Lester Young, he is, nonetheless, one of the most original tenor saxophonists playing today, and his style mirrors Getz' approach to life in general as well as to music; thus, though he is cool, he can be very hot when he wants to. And Getz has so influenced a whole new school of young musicians, that in the years to come it may well be that Getz will be judged one of the original giants in the jazz tradition that he has set today. *Norman Granz (1953)*

Stan Getz

Stan Getz Plays

This is another album by Stan Getz that is entirely overlooked, but then, the man had so many brilliant records coming out within a few years of each other that people are naturally drawn to a personal, if not subversive list of what they think best. In reality, one needs only to listen to one album at a time without considering that one is better than the other, after all, it's all about the pleasure of the music.

Stan Getz Plays is another in a continuing series of standards Getz lends his sax to. If anything is of note, it's that this release, on the original vinyl, sounds sonically far better than say Quartets, so remarkably different that I'm surprised more people weren't drawn to the record for that fact alone. Add that that during these sessions, Stan is entirely more focused and in control, more confident here, and while Stan is as cool and breathy as ever, his line of attack is strong, coming off as visionary and self-assured. Getz does improvise a bit here and there on the album, though not more than necessary, and these remarkable flights are simply elegant and beautifully warm.

There are those who are forever nipping at Getz's heels, dogging the man about his slower paced songs, suggesting that they are nothing more than restricted musical embroidery, yet for this listener, it's within these slower numbers that one gets to meet Stan face to face as he spins his gracious stories. Without a doubt, Stan Getz was a restless artist, mildly changing his stance from album to album, though not much, where he cherishes his lyrically simple jazz standards, concentrating foremost on the melody, though at the same time, weaving countless variations on and within those familiar themes, where even his uptempo numbers possess a lightness, even a delicacy that are purposely designed to be enhanced and supported by a discrete and never intrusive rhythm section that is worth while focusing on in its own right.

Getz was married to Beverly Byrne, a vocalist with the Gene Krupa band at the time of this album's release. The child on the cover is one of the three children they had together.

*rateyourmusic review*

Side 1

1 - Stella By Starlight

(Young, Washington)

2 - Time On My Hands

(Youmans, Adamson, Gordon)

3 - 'Tis Autumn

(Nemo)

4 - The Way You Look Tonight

(Fields, Kern)

5 - Lover Come Back To Me

(Romberg, Hammerstein II)

6 - Body And Soul

(Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton)

Side 2

7 - Stars Fell On Alabama

(Parish, Perkins)

8 - You Turned The Tables On Me

(Mitchell, Alter)

9 - Thanks For The Memory

(Rainger, Robin)

10 - Hymn Of The Orient

(Gryce)

11 - These Foolish Things

(Strachey, Marvell, Link)

12 - How Deep Is The Ocean

(Irving Berlin)

Stan Getz (tenor sax), Duke Jordan (piano), Jimmy Raney (guitar), Bill Crow (bass), Frank Isola (drums).

Recorded in New York City, December 12 (#1 to #8) and December 29 (#9 to #12), 1952.

Note: All of this material had been previously released as two ten inch extended plays by Clef Records: Stan Getz Plays [Clef Records (MGC-137)] and the Side 1 of The Artistry Of Stan Getz [Clef Records (MGC- 143)] from which the cover was taken for this nice 1953 French pressing.