I saw Stan Getz DVD

[Aussie]

last week I saw Stan Getz DVD - It was awful! I t was Live on my mind 1976
He Played as machine. There was not Getz energy in his playing! :|
Bassist played very well, piano was good, But Stan was smoking all time
He played very short tunes.
Stan at the end of his life disillusion me. Now I listen only his earliest playing.

[gary]

Aussie, sorry you didn't like the video but don't "throw the baby out with the wash". Getz had plenty of good playing left in him after 1976. Two really excellent recordings come to mind, Anniversary and Serenity, which were recorded sometime around 1987, over a decade after that performance you saw on DVD. I think you would like these recordings. The interplay among all the band members was ESP.

[DirkW]

I was just listening to "Falling In Love" from Serenity on my drive into work this morning. I was struck by his economy of notes, his brilliance with a simple phrase, and his interplay with the piano. He definitely makes my short list of great players.

[Morry]

last week I saw Stan Getz DVD - It was awful! I t was Live on my mind 1976
He Played as machine. There was not Getz energy in his playing! :|
Bassist played very well, piano was good, But Stan was smoking all time
He played very short tunes.
Stan at the end of his life disillusion me. Now I listen only his earliest playing.

People Time with Kenny Barron was the last thing he recorded, just months before he died. I don't think you could listen to that and not be impressed. Very lyrical and melodic.

Keep in mind, Stan had quite an alcohol problem for much of his playing career. Might have even had problems with other substances also. Therefore, there were bound to be a couple where he didn't perform up to par.

[Gandalfe]

Aussie, was that the DVD titled "Vintage Getz"? I really liked that performance. It's funny how tired he was of 'Girl' that he pretty much had to play because of demand at every performance.

[1saxman]

Just got the CD with the best of the Royal Roost recordings, Getz's best years. I was extremely happy to find this had been put on CD. I have a few Roost records, but they're all messed up to some degree. Having the same stuff on this three-CD set is a 30-year dream come true. Speaking of Getz TV appearances, I was setting up for a gig one night and saw on the TV Melissa Manchester belting out a song with Stan standing there trying to play with her. There was another combo in the resort, and a couple of them were watching it too. Suddenly the sax player could take it no more, and yelled "Shut up, b***h, and let him blow". That pretty much expressed my feelings on it.

[Stretch]

At the end of his life Getz was was playing masterfully, with great emotion and passion. His sound was so beautiful in People Time.

[JLeurck]

At the end of his life Getz was was playing masterfully, with great emotion and passion. His sound was so beautiful in People Time.

Agreed! My two favorite straight-ahead jazz albums from anyone of that period were "Anniversary" and "Serenity". According a biography I read on Stan, he was finally substance-free. IMO, he sounded better than any other period outside of his earliest recordings with Jimmy Raney. His playing was just absolutely gorgeous, whether uptempo or ballad. That band w/Kenny Barron, Victor Lewis and Rufus Reid just brought out the absolute best in Getz. This is about the period I really discovered Stan. I kind of worked my way backwards through his catalog. Before then I just thought he was kind of a lightweight with all of those sambas and bossa novas. Pretty tunes, but nothing that really excited me. After hearing his recordings of the late 80's on NPR, I really scrapped around to find as much as I could of his older stuff. Good god - huge body of work. There are some albums he made for Concord in the 80s that were also great. I still cannot get excited about his bossa nova period, but things like "Focus", "For Musicians Only", "Stan Getz and Bill Evans", and all of the Roost stuff is just fabulous. Lightweight? Man, was I wrong. I only knew him by reputation, but he's become one of my favorite players for sure.