Getz a bit too smooth for me. (Sax Moods: The Very Best Of Stan Getz - Stan Getz)

Member Name: paulhanton

Product:	Sax Moods: The Very Best Of Stan Getz - Stan Getz
Date:	20/07/08 (153 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very smooth, accomplished sax playing.

Disadvantages: Bit too 'cocktail lounge'.

The Very Best of Stan Getz. Sax Moods.

Stan Getz, to me, on tenor sax is like Kenny G is to soprano, Mr smooth. There is no doubt that this has been both his accolade and his downfall. Traditional jazz fans may find him too smooth, yet his pedigree and grounding was in some of the more bebop style bands. His 'tone' when playing has been called 'the sound' as it is pretty near perfect, now personally I like something a little more 'off' perfect.

This double CD is broadly (though not completely) split into two genres. The first CD is more traditional jazz tunes and ballads whilst the 2nd CD is dominated by Latin, Bossa Nova type tunes, not my favourite genre (CD 2).

The thing I do like about this double CD is that there is a whole bunch of other incredibly talented musicians her such as: Astrud Gilberto (vocals), Chic Corea (piano), Joao Gilberto (acoustic guitar), Max Roach on drums, and a whole host of other folk, all listed on the CD sleeve.

This review would end up as a major dissertation if I reviewed every track so I won't, I'll select what for me are the best to review:

~~~~~CD1~~~~~
The Girl From Ipanema:
One of those 'hate it' or 'love it' tunes. A very silky male vocal in Spanish, then a second verse from a female vocalist (Gilberto?). Getz does not get to play till almost halfway through this track when he comes in with a very strong solo. He then spends the end of the track backing the vocal with an unusually high set of notes for him. Just class.

Summertime:
You would not believe how many saxophone versions of this song that I own. This is probably the smoothest, not my favourite, that is Charlie Parker, followed by Albert Ayler. There is something about the way Getz plays this though, Smokey, low, sexy. I like the way he repeats some notes or sets of notes 8 or 9 times before moving on, something I like to do. Nice.

~~~~~CD 2~~~~~
Desafinado:
A classic 'standard' is actually given a good workout by Getz here and he has a tendency, whilst sticking with the main melody, to decorate it with fast jumps up and down the scales. That and the fact there is a gorgeous guitar solo in the middle make this a great track. Ultra smooth, a la cocktail bar.

So Danco Samba:
At last we get a bit of interesting improvisation, almost like he has woken up and taken a step forward to do his solo, very nice, he even throws in a couple of random low B's and C's just to wake us up too.

Sweet Rain:
Now this is just so smooth it is bordering on sickly, then he shakes it up a bit, just a bit to make you take interest again. Great piano playing.

I Remember when:
Much more of a big band feel to it and a bit less refined in his playing, you can hear the breaths for instance, quite Smokey in places too.

~~~~~Finally~~~~~
There is no doubt that if you like your music smooth, this is the album for you. Personally I like my saxophone tunes a little more on the wild side, but don't get me wrong, this is a great album.

I have listed all the tracks below as someone ( a guide)suggested this in an earlier review comment and it makes sense to finish with the list if I am not reviewing every track.

Disc 1
1. The Girl From Ipanema
2. Insensatez
3. Little Girl Blue
4. Summertime
5. Nature Boy
6. Samba Triste
7. O Grande Amor
8. Apasionado
9. Winter Moon
10. Thanks For The Memory
11. A Ballad
12. Born To Be Blue
13. You're Blase
14. Her

Disc 2
1. Desafinado
2. Manha De Carnaval
3. Early Autumn
4. Menina Flor
5. So Danco Samba
6. Time After Time
7. Corcovado
8. Melancolico
9. Sweet Rain
10. East Of The Sun
11. With The WInd And The Rain In Your Hair
12. A Handful Of Stars
13. I Remember When

I have also posted this on Ciao under the same member name.

Summary: Stan Getz.