Home » Jazz Articles » Multiple Reviews » Stan Getz: Captain Marvel & Bossas and Ballads
Stan Getz: Captain Marvel & Bossas and Ballads
Many a musician have an artistic and commercial peak. Very few have more than one; the true masters are able to reach artistic heights over many periods and styles. For the ones who have had only one period of creativity, God in his mercy has created places of refuge for them, known as Las Vegas. Gifted with a unique voice and style, Stan Getz was able to adapt to, master, define and ultimately transcend each era and artistic style that was brought his way.
Reinventing himself by surrounding himself with young, fusion sympathetic musicians (Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Tony Williams, Airto Moreira) to create an absolute classic of its era. Captain Marvel survives better than any other recording of it’s era taking a fledging style and making it ultimately his own. On searing flamenco sketches like "La Fiesta," with it’s hypnotic beat, or mournful mood pieces like "Five Hundred Miles High," Getz' luscious tone soars to levels of intensity and pathos that he’d never reached, or even strived for before. Not a single glib note on these selections: every solo has passion and drive. This recording is one for the ages. The remastering brings out extra snap to Clarke's bass and Moreira's percussion.
Fast forward about a decade later and you have Getz in his last era with his final classic quartet. Getz’ voice, with age, had changed; deeper, more world-weary, but ever more luscious. Bossas & Ballads is a textbook example of a working band completely at home with one another. Kenny Barron is the composer of most of these beautiful, timeless and memorable songs. The pianist is the perfect accompanist, supplying subtle support, challenging twists and sophisticated ideas for Getz to work with.
"Soul Eyes," while tempting one to make comparisons to John Coltrane’s famous version, simply brings forth Mr. Coltrane’s quote, "Everyone wants to sound like Stan Getz." Incredibly, these pieces were "lost" for years, but no longer. These discs are two peaks in a career of very few valleys.
Columbia/Legacy on the web: www.legacyrecordings.com.
Verve on the web: www.vervemusicgroup.com.
Track Listing
Captain Marvel: La Fiesta/ Five Hundred Miles High/ Captain Marvel/ Times Lie/ Lush Life/ Day Waves/ Crystal Silence/ Captain Marvel/ Five Hundred Miles High
Bossas and Ballads: Sunshower/ Yours and Mine/ Joanne Julia/ Soul Eyes/ Spiral/ Beatrice/ The Wind/ El Sueno/ Feijoada
Personnel
Captain Marvel: Stan Getz- tenor saxophone; Chick Corea- keyboards; Stanley Clarke- bass; Tony Williams- drums; Airto Moreira- percussion
Bossas and Ballads: Stan Getz- tenor saxophone; Kenny Barron- piano; George Mraz- bass; Victor Lewis- drums
About Stan Getz
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
