The very first song Stan Getz recorded for Norman Granz's Clef label, in December 1952, was Victor Young's Stella by Starlight. At the time, the Stan Getz Quintet was comprised of Stan Getz (ts), Duke Jordan (p), Jimmy Raney (g), Bill Crow (b) and Frank Isola (d).
By then, the group had already been playing the standard at gigs. They did so on November 14 at New York's Carnegie Hall and four days later at Birdland. They also performed it after the studio recording, on March 8, 1953, at Boston's Hi-Hat Club, with guitarist Jimmy Raney replaced by valve-trombonist Bob Brookmeyer.
The song features Getz at his very best—smooth, inventive on improvisation, and seamless on execution. Perfection!
Here's the quintet at Carnegie Hall playing Stella by Starlight...
Here's the quintet in the studio recording for Clef...
And here's the Getz quintet, with Bob Brookmeyer, at Boston's Hi-Hat Club...
By then, the group had already been playing the standard at gigs. They did so on November 14 at New York's Carnegie Hall and four days later at Birdland. They also performed it after the studio recording, on March 8, 1953, at Boston's Hi-Hat Club, with guitarist Jimmy Raney replaced by valve-trombonist Bob Brookmeyer.
The song features Getz at his very best—smooth, inventive on improvisation, and seamless on execution. Perfection!
Here's the quintet at Carnegie Hall playing Stella by Starlight...
Here's the quintet in the studio recording for Clef...
And here's the Getz quintet, with Bob Brookmeyer, at Boston's Hi-Hat Club...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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