In 1993, Jean-Pierre Larcher released his documentary of Stan Getz called People Time. Issued two years after Getz's death, the film was named for the tenor saxophonist's final album, a duet recording with pianist Kenny Barron. Today, the documentary is hard to come by. I found it in parts at the site of the Stan Getz Community.
Getz is important because he not only pioneered a distinctly light and fluid sound on the instrument by leveraging Lester Young's approach but also played with a swinging romantic feel that makes you swoon when you hear it. Ferociously prolific, Getz recorded from the mid-1940s on. Some might argue that the cool, soaring West Coast saxophone style of the 1950s was more about emulating Getz than Young. If that wasn't enough, Getz sent the bossa nova into orbit in the 1960s after recording albums such as Jazz Samba and Getz/Gilberto. He even had a busy career in the 1970s and '80s for Columbia and Concord among other labels.
In case you're unfamiliar with Getz's seductive sound, try this on for size...
Getz is important because he not only pioneered a distinctly light and fluid sound on the instrument by leveraging Lester Young's approach but also played with a swinging romantic feel that makes you swoon when you hear it. Ferociously prolific, Getz recorded from the mid-1940s on. Some might argue that the cool, soaring West Coast saxophone style of the 1950s was more about emulating Getz than Young. If that wasn't enough, Getz sent the bossa nova into orbit in the 1960s after recording albums such as Jazz Samba and Getz/Gilberto. He even had a busy career in the 1970s and '80s for Columbia and Concord among other labels.
In case you're unfamiliar with Getz's seductive sound, try this on for size...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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