Stan Getz

Stan Getz earned acclaim as one of jazz history’s supreme tenor saxophonists and carried the enduring nickname “The Sound.” Few players matched the sheer beauty of his tone or his stature among melodic improvisers. Lester Young shaped his earliest approach, yet Getz soon reversed the flow by shaping the language of later generations while continually refining his own voice. He built a singular tonal palette and personal phrasing that fused opulent lyricism with the sinewy drive of jazz improvisation. Ballads and mid-tempo material remained his favored terrain, although he handled brisk tempos with equal mastery; each solo conveyed emotion with uncluttered directness and an instinctive yet shrewd internal architecture. Across a lifetime he appeared on more than 150 albums, several now regarded as cornerstones of the idiom: Stan Getz Plays (1955), Focus (1961) scored by Eddie Sauter, and Jazz Samba (1962) with guitarist Charlie Byrd, the recording that introduced Brazilian bossa nova to American listeners. The landmark Getz/Gilberto album captured multiple Grammy awards in 1964, while its single “The Girl from Ipanema” crossed onto pop playlists and reached audiences worldwide. By the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s his phrasing grew more vigorous; Sweet Rain (1967), Change of Scenes with the Clarke-Boland Big Band (1971), and Captain Marvel (1974) demonstrated his command of progressive jazz and fusion forms. His last release, the live double-disc People Time, paired him in duo with pianist Kenny Barron; issued shortly after his death from liver cancer in 1991, it encapsulates the full range of his expressive gifts.

Born in Philadelphia in 1927, Getz relocated with his family to the Bronx during the Depression in search of employment. At six he began shadowing radio broadcasts on harmonica; wherever instruments appeared he gravitated toward them. When he turned thirteen his father supplied a saxophone and clarinet. In 1941 he earned a seat in New York City’s All City High School Orchestra. Leaving school at sixteen in 1943, he joined trombonist Jack Teagarden’s band and became the bandleader’s legal ward. Subsequent engagements followed with Stan Kenton (1944–1945), Jimmy Dorsey (1945), and Benny Goodman (1945–1946), on whose recordings Getz occasionally soloed. His debut session as a leader took place in July 1946. Fame arrived during his tenure with Woody Herman’s Second Herd (1947–1949), where he joined Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward, and Serge Chaloff on the original “Four Brothers” and where his sound dominated the ballad “Early Autumn.” Thereafter, aside from occasional Jazz at the Philharmonic tours, Getz worked exclusively as a leader.

Early in the 1950s he moved beyond Lester Young’s model to establish an independent identity and quickly ranked among jazz’s most celebrated figures. He discovered Horace Silver in 1950 and featured him in a quartet for several months. Following a 1951 Swedish tour, Getz assembled a dynamic quintet that spotlighted guitarist Jimmy Raney; their rapid exchanges and blended ballad voicings proved memorable. His solo helped Johnny Smith score a hit with “Moonlight in Vermont.” Between 1953 and 1954 Bob Brookmeyer expanded the group to a quintet, and despite personal struggles with narcotics Getz topped numerous polls throughout the decade. After residing in Europe from 1958 to 1960 he returned to record Focus, his own favorite album, with Eddie Sauter’s orchestra. In February 1962 he and Charlie Byrd launched the bossa-nova wave with Jazz Samba; their version of “Desafinado” became a major success. Over the next year Getz cut bossa-flavored sessions with Gary McFarland’s orchestra, Luiz Bonfá, and Laurindo Almeida, yet Getz/Gilberto—his collaboration with Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto—emerged as his strongest commercial triumph, propelled largely by “The Girl from Ipanema” sung by Astrud and João Gilberto.

Rather than coast on bossa nova, Getz deliberately shifted toward more demanding jazz. His working unit became a piano-less quartet featuring vibraphonist Gary Burton; he also recorded with Bill Evans (1964), contributed to Eddie Sauter’s 1965 soundtrack for Mickey One, and produced the classic Sweet Rain (1967) with Chick Corea. Although not every date from 1966 to 1980 ranks among his essentials, Getz repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to experiment. Standouts include Dynasty with organist Eddie Louiss (1971), Captain Marvel with Chick Corea (1972), and The Peacocks with Jimmy Rowles (1975). After employing pianist Joanne Brackeen in his 1977 quartet, he explored fusion textures with a subsequent ensemble anchored by keyboardist Andy LaVerne, even applying an Echoplex on selected tracks; despite occasional missteps, most of those recordings remain rewarding. Traditionalists welcomed his 1981 move to Concord and the return to an acoustic trio format on the majority of later dates.

In 1987 surgeons removed a sizable tumor from behind Getz’s heart; further examinations disclosed liver cancer and cirrhosis, conditions attributed to prolonged substance use. Unwilling to relent, he adopted a rigorous herbal regimen aimed at treating the disease. By autumn 1988 MRI imaging showed dramatic shrinkage of the tumor. Encouraged, Getz maintained an active schedule, touring with pianist Kenny Barron and recording Apasionado (1990) with Herb Alpert and You Gotta Pay the Band (1990) with vocalist Abbey Lincoln. The cancer nevertheless persisted, and he died on 6 June 1991 at age sixty-four. His final recording, the 1991 duet album People Time with Barron, remains a luminous document of their partnership. While much of his catalog received remastering and reissue in ensuing years, Verve issued the previously unreleased Getz at the Gate in 2019—a November 26, 1961 performance featuring his short-lived “Boston Band” of pianist Steve Kuhn, drummer Roy Haynes, and bassist John Neves.