Customer Reviews

Focus

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was working the midnight shift in the lab at Clark Air Base in the Philippine Islands when this haunting sound came out of the radio. As the morning crew came to work EVERYONE stopped to listen to what was being played. I was mesmerized and stayed late to find out who was playing. This is NOT a combination of jazz and classical music. The music was arranged by Eddie Sauter, an amazing composer who was noted for the Sauter/Finnegan Orchestra which played a lot of cutting edge music in the 50's. It was written specifically for Getz, and Sauter was present at the recording. This was my first exposure to Getz, and I'll never forget it. A few months later I heard Desafinado, and again I was glued to the spot. This is not my favorite recording of Stan, but for that you need to pick up Stan Getz Quartets (if that's what they're calling it these days). It is a collection of tunes that he recorded in the late 40s, early 50s and was playing like a young man posessed. This is a more mature sounding player, but just as inspired.

The story behind the making of this record is almost as impressive as the record itself. Stan Getz had commissioned Eddie Suter to write something for him to record, and he gave Sauter carte blanche. Eddie came up with a suite for strings and drum. None of the sax parts were written. Stan was to totally improvise his work. A recording date was set. Unfortunately, the day before the date, Stan's mother died. Yet, the date established was the only one where the other instrumentalists could get together. So, they went in and laid down their parts. A few days later, Stan and Eddie went into the studio. Stan listened to the recordings just once and then recorded his glorious sax solos, laying his track onto the strings and drum recording to come up with the finished product. Only one movement of the suite had more than one take, and Stan and Eddie couldn't decide which was better, so they laid them out back to back on the finished product. I am a fan of Getz, and although I have been a life-long oldies rock and roll DJ, this is my favorite record of all time. Stan's marvelous, melodic, inventive, non-reptititve improvisations have never been better. Each movement of the suite is different and complete unto itself. Except for a few musical school concerts, I don't believe anyone has ever even tried to duplicate this achievement. Music lovers everywhere rejoice. This is the epitome of artistic triumph.

'Focus' was the record that Stan Getz always mentioned when interviewers asked him which was his favorite album that he had made. This is beautiful music. It is different...if you only like your jazz with a steady 4/4 walking bass and swinging ride cymbal with standard instrumentation, then you should pass on this one. 'Focus' has more of a classical instrumentation with a string section. Getz was only supplied with a transposed score...no parts were written for the saxophone. What you hear is Stan's response to Eddie Sauter's inspired writing. Getz's imagination and gift for melody is much in evidence. Roy Haynes is a gas on "I'm Late". This record is a real classic. The reviewers who call this 'elevator muzak' should expand their listening horizons.

This is an absolutely unique and fascinating CD! The string arrangements are very original and provocative--not syrupy at all, but not dissonant either. Stan Getz' tenor playing is equally original and provocative. I've been a big jazz fan for 30 years, but this album completely surprised me with its originality. Stan's playing here is more progressive and provocative than many of his other albums. Not sentimental and not discordant, just interesting and enjoyable solid jazz improvisations over thoughtful intelligent string arrangements. Not your typical standards album.

Big Band playing could be a straightjacket. With a big band usually everything is written and scripted. Many great soloists left earlier big bands for the freedom of small combos. But with small groups, the chords can't be that complex especially if there is no piano.

Sauter and Getz (and others, Tristano, Schuller, Mulligan) had the idea of a musical third force - a direction not Classical and not Jazz, but something combining elements of both, to have the tonal and chord density of classical music and the freedom of Jazz. (Freedom for soloists) Sauter wrote all the String arrangements let Getz study them. Then Getz spent take after take improvising, winding his arabesque solos around the scripted parts. Acrobatic. Miles Davis also did work like this with Gil Evans.

It was an effort he, they, were very proud off. Getz said he worked harder and was prouder of this than any other album.

While it was being recorded, Getz mother Goldie died, who he was quite close to. *Her* is a musical tribute to his mother. True emotion here, this is heartfelt music.

The genius of Stan Getz (and early Miles Davis) was to know when to play, when to be silent, when to follow the melodic line, when to play arching convoluted bebop. Like a painter that meditates to paint just the right stroke. And it's happening in real time, at the speed of sound!

If you think this is elevator music, listen again. Ballads give the soloist no place to hide, but expose the soloist's inner depth (or lack thereof).

If you have even the slightest interest in Jazz, you must have this wonderful and unique CD. I came across the music accidently, at a dinner party in Paris. They had Radio France playing in the background, and I'll never forget the moment it caught my attention. One by one, everyone stopped talking, someone poured more wine and turned up the volume, and all of us just listened ( RF played it in its entirety). I must apologize; if you sift through Amazon you'll come across other reviews I've written that are much more objective. I just can't find the right words to describe what a masterpiece Focus really is, so I thought I'd tell you about that wonderful night with Stan Getz and friends.

"Focus" is one of that records that need to grow up on you for a correct interpretation of its beauty. Stan Getz plays here his best EVER, indeed! "Focus" is one of the few records that combines perfectly well Jazz and Classical Music. Getz plays the Jazz parts while the strings section show a great aproach to Classical Music. Tracks like "Pan", "Night Rider" or "Once Upon A Time" are some of the best examples of the sublime work in here. But it's "A Summer Afternoon" that puts you in another level. Too much good! Superb!
"Focus" is an essential part to describes the word "Beauty". PERFECT!

I am a huge fan of Stan Getz. So when I was in a used record store one day I came across some old records by Mr. Getz, Focus was one of them. It just kind of grabbed my focus. Maybe it was the cover. Maybe it was intuition. ... But I bought it, and I have to tell you...I am blown away! Jazz and classical music brought together in a most amazing way. This record does more than make me tap my feet. Getz gets me to think, to feel. Getz gets me good! The arrangements of all the composistions are orchestrated in such a way that I don't think they realized when they were putting this altogether that this would be 100% pure Divine Inspiration...or maybe they did...maybe that's why they had to make this great record. Buy this and add it to your collection...you will soon be reaching for this more than anything you own!

I'm a member of WBGO -- the NPR-Jazz station around NYC/NJ, and I'd just bought their 25th-Anniversary compliation of what they hailed to be 30 of the greatest tracks from Verve and Blue Note Records. I'd not listened to all of it yet, but figured that this would be good listening as I worked out. I put the second CD and started pedaling, when Night Rider came on. I had to stop and just listen. It was about the most amazing jazz tune I'd heard in awhile -- a virtuousic saxophone sailing amongst a turbulent sea of strings. After listening to that one song, I had to get the album.

I cannot find words to describe this album. I guess it's about beauty. I am speechless and still in shock. "Focus" took me to a higher level of understanding music. It's a work beyond genre and beyond time.