Stan Getz Music

"Sweet Rain" is Getz's best release from the late 60s. Everything about this album is just amazing. Getz is joined by Chick Corea on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Grady Tate on drums. I'm not a big fan of Chick Corea, but will admit his playing here is some of the best I've heard from him. Ron Carter and Grady Tate need no introduction both are accomplished jazz musicians. Getz sounds beauiful as always. I highly recommend "Sweet Rain."

Past master Stan Getz is heard in a live recording, backed by Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Tony WIlliams on five tracks. The interaction between the players is intriguing. The enthusiam of the young rhythm section spurs Getz to a more forceful, somewhat edgier performance than we hear on his studio recordings from this period. The tunes are intriguing, and require significant rhythmic agility in negotiating their changes of tone, timbre and tempo. The players clearly enjoy the challenge, and their interplay is spirited. Sound quality is somewhat disappointing, but not so poor as to prevent the listener from getting involved with the proceedings.

Although I can't confirm the other reviewer's information regarding the actual source of this live recording, I can confirm that the tracks are improperly identified.

The last two tracks feature pianist Albert Dailey. I've never been particularly fond of Dailey, and this recording hasn't changed by opinion. The sound quallity on these tracks is superior, but the group interaction never rises to the level of the first five tracks.

I'd probably rate this disc at 3.5 stars, and recommend it to fans of the classic "Sweet Rain" session released by Verve. I've rated it at Four stars, to split the difference with the earlier reviewer.

Not to be confused with the (legitimate) Verve release of the same name, this CD entitled "Sweet Rain" on the mostly bootleg West Wind label presents tenor sax legend Stan Getz in a quartet setting with Chick Corea (on Fender Rhodes and limited acoustic piano) live at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 23, 1972 and NOT "at the Salle Wagram, NYC, November 1969" as the scant cover notes purport. This meeting of two jazz greats (nimbly assisted by Stanley Clarke on bass and Tony Williams on drums) celebrates the contemporary 1972 Columbia release of the album "Captain Marvel", which featured the same musicians playing on no fewer than five Corea compositions, all new at the time. Most of the tunes from that album are reprised here, including a tender reading of the Strayhorn chestnut "Lush Life" and another Corea tune, "Windows", which Getz and Corea first rendered on the 1967 Verve album "Sweet Rain". But the song "Sweet Rain" itself is nowhere to be found on this CD and in fact, three of the seven tracks contained here are titled incorrectly. The performances by the musicians however are all serious business - workmanlike if not inspired, and well recorded, and well appreciated by the international crowd.

The two final tracks find Getz in an entirely different quartet featuring Albert Dailey on a very poorly tuned piano, George Mraz on bass, and fearless skin-pounder Billy Hart. Left unlocated and undated (perhaps wisely) by West Wind, these two long and strong performances probably originate from circa Fall 1975 when the same foursome (with a different bassist) made the album"The Master" under Getz's leadership, also for Columbia. The highlight here is "Lester Left Town", the Wayne Shorter tune which Stan loved to play live. Mraz has a good time with his solo turn on it as well. Though not as well recorded, the outdoor crowd registers their approval throughout. A worthwhile historical document on both counts, despite the uninformed packaging job. -- Jim Bonevich

TRACK LISTING:
1. Captain Marvel (C.Corea) 6:33 mis-titled as "Sweet Rain"
2. Day Waves (C.Corea) 8:39 mis-titled as "Wee"
3. Lush Life (B.Strayhorn) 4:54
4. Windows (C.Corea) 9:23 mis-titled as "Night Time Street"
5. La Fiesta (C.Corea) 12:33

Stan Getz - tenor sax
Chick Corea - Fender Rhodes, piano
Stanley Clarke - bass
Tony Williams - drums

6. Lester Left Town (W.Shorter) 9:30
7. Lover Man (J.Davis - R.Ramirez - J.Sherman) 12:10

Stan Getz - tenor sax
Albert DAILEY - piano
George Mraz - bass
Billy Hart - drums

This listing is erroneous. The cover art is for the studio session, the tracklisting is for the live set, and the review is for the studio session.

This album is a combination of Stan Getz, Chick Corea, and Ron Carter with Grady Tate on Drums. The copy I have of this is a two record set on vinyl (which I am looking to replace) with Bill Evans on one disk and Chick Corea on the second. The Chick Corea cuts are the best (this from a die hard Bill Evans fan) with Corea and Getz doing some wonderful work and providing a couple of latin flavoured tunes without being too boisterous. Corea was a 25 year old unknown when this album was cut, but was showing his brilliance. Litha and Windows were both Corea compositions which show the composer's musical promise. I've been wanting to finds this on CD and am glad to know that the Japanese have done it.

Outstanding jazz performances from one of the legendary jazz saxaphonists of the 20th century.

For a lot of people who were familiar with Stan Getz, many associated him too closely as the Bossa nova king such as Gary Burton but this album refuted the point brilliantly. Not only was he a hard core bopper but he could do modal tunes like Chick Corea's "Litha", Mike Gibbs title tune, and Gillespie's perennial bop tune,"Con Alma. This last tune he plays to perfection but then just everything he does here is great. There are traces of the Coltrane influence in his sudden leaps on "Con Alma" and David Baker carefully annotated Getz's brilliant solo on this piece de resistance. And of course there is the beauty of his tone or "marshmellow" tone as Freddie Hubbard called it, in the bossa "O Grande Amor" which he brilliantly delinerates here. If you're ready to be converted, do check this album--it stands head and shoulders next to "Focus" as Getz's best!! Or as fellow friend/musician Miles Davis said in an interview, "He could play the telephone book and make it sound beautiful--he has so much taste!!" And John Coltrane who listed Stan as one of his favorites along with Dexter Gordon said. "Everyone should sound like that".

There are some audiofile standards of reproduction that many with reason value, but I am a working class guy that grew up in the 50's. It didn't take a whole lot of technology back then to get lost "in the mystic". Get the best quality you can and enjoy!

I first heard this in the late 60's when it came out on vinyl. I was soooooo damn happy when it came out on CD. I will look again and see if there is a new pressing of this classic.

Getz was riding a perfect wave on this one. EVERYTHING IS RIGHT HERE! This is beautiful, sacred music from one of the masters. Stan took the Lester Young sensibility and kept developing it. This particular album is a refection of bop, model, latin and "New Thing". It also reflects a mutual admiration between Getz and Trane who loved each other's artistry very much.

Elegant beauty dwells here with a pulsing heart.

As smooth as honey and as fine as spun sugar, this cd flows gently from one song to the next in what appears to be an effortless musical session.

This collection of songs is played by a four-piece combo, yet the talent of these musicians create a subtle, but rich experience. Chick Corea who plays awesome piano wrote two of the songs. Other composers are Antonio Carlos Jobim and Dizzy Gillespie.

Highly recommended for all Stan Getz or Chick Corea fans, as well as anybody who appreciates fine mellow jazz.

This jazz record is so different in style to so many of his works that it confirms my belief that Stan Getz never stopped changing and evolving during his musical career. Unlike so many other artists it appears Stan enjoyed taking on new challenges and expanding his horizons.

Although this record may initially take a number of listenings to really appreciate it, I feel that this challenge has produced a jazz masterpiece. Listen and be rewarded.