Stan Getz Music

OK, so the sound quality is not terrific...these are airchecks from radio broadcasts from the '50's...and none of the artists involved had hit their creative peaks, but it's still very enjoyable music. It's always revealing to hear the early work of major artists to see where they were as developing musicians. All of them had managed to emerge from the herd at this stage of their careers and were beginning to firmly establish their own styles and identities. The emotional sound of Getz's ballads and the energy in up-tempo tunes, the intricate compositions and arrangements of the Manne group and the from-the-hip-pocket easy swing of Zoot are all very much in evidence. And, while we just hear a snippet, Sims proves once again that he could have been a major influence on alto had he chosen to spend more time with that horn. Is this CD for the casual jazz fan? Perhaps not, but it should be in the collection of jazz listeners who take pleasure in following the creative growth of important artists.

I give 3 stars, only beause the recorded sound quality unfortunatly suffers. Whomever recorded this amazing band set the recorder too close to Rufus "Speedy' Jones' drums and at times, all you hear are cymbals drowning out the band. The solo mic is okay and there are great perforamces by lead trumpeter Bill Chase and tenor sax man Sal Nistico. Herman alumni like Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, al Cohen & Gerry Mulligan join in the Jimmy Guffrie comp. The Four Brothers a.k.a. 'The Four Mothers.' & Getz is featured on 'Early Autumn'

The recording would better suit a real Herman die hard fan of this particular era, if not seek 'Woody '63' or 'Woody's Winners/Jazz Hoot' for better recorded quality.