Stan Getz Music

This is a Live date that came along between the Bop era and Cool jazz. It was one of those rare times when everybody came to play.
Along with the leader GETZ is: JIMMY RANEY, AL HAIG, TEDDY KOTICK
and TINY KAHN. These white boys could BURN! To hear this with today's recording equipment would really be somethin', but none the less you'll DIG IT. These guys were tight and inspire each other on every cut. STAN was the MAN! A TRUE JAZZ GEM!!

Getz was always good, and this is a nice collection of his mellower tunes. It's especially good if you're looking for Getz's early music. However, beware that the sound quality is somewhat uneven, especially toward the end of CD-2, and in particular "Willow Weep for Me" and "Body and Soul." These numbers were obviously taken from some pretty old records. The notes are excellent when it comes to telling Getz's story, but little help in terms of the selected music (dates, players, etc.). If you're looking for the mellow music by this great player, I recommend Getz for Lovers or Stan Getz's Finest Hour, both nicely priced and with better sound quality.

I hadn't bought any Getz albums before this one, and these are initial impressions based on two listenings. Good tracks IMHO include: La Fiesta (with Chick Corea), Misty (with Herbie Hancock), Who Cares (ditto), and Blue Serge. I couldn't get behind these renditions of Lester Left Town or Captain Marvel, although I can see where these might have fans. And I don't like the Getz/Gilberto tunes as a rule, just personal preference, so YMMV, but that leaves out the Ligia and Aguas De Marco tracks. Most of the tracks are from the 1970s, with a couple from 1964.

Be aware the liner notes are in French!
With the above reservations, this is a recommended straight-ahead jazz CD.