Customer Reviews

Stan Getz & Cool Sounds (Spec Packaging)

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

 

 

In 1962, I took my first paycheck ever into a record store looking for "West Side Story". There, on an end cap, was an album with a picture of the Jets on the cover--much more appealing than the all-red cover of the sound-track. The clerk said "If you like that, you've got to hear this!" and put a copy of "Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds" on the turntable (in those days, they didn't shrink-wrap music, and they'd play it before you bought it). That day, I bought my first two albums...Thus began a lifetime love of that moment in jazz between swing and be-bop personified by Oscar Peterson and (briefly) Stan Getz. Here, Getz swings with an incredibly mellow sound; and does it without being syrupy. Bob Brookmeyer joins in on several numbers and makes you wish he'd made more than two appearances with Getz. The rhythm section stays mostly in thebackground, but catch John Williams' piano solo on Roundup Time and the solid rhythm of the Frank Isola cuts. This is music for *listening*. If all you know of Getz is the latin stuff, you owe it to yourself to find out what he did for thirty years before he learned to samba. I'm so glad to see this out on CD. I'm waiting for the US remaster, but it's on my short list. That 40-year-old record is so muddy it's hardly worth copying, but it's still one of the half dozen that live on the "play me" shelf--right next to the Peterson "West Side Story".

I love Stan Getz, and "Cool Sounds" is a collection of great music he made between 1953-55. But the release of this limited edition CD is definitely not cool! The reason is that the disc's first four tracks have already been released as bonus tracks on the CD of "West Coast Jazz" (see my review). See, when "Cool Sounds" originally came out on vinyl, it was a collection of outtakes and abbreviated sessions packaged together to further capitalize on Getz's soaring popularity. But now in the era of the compact disc, these selections should be issued as bonus tracks along with other material recorded at the time of their creation, as was already done on "West Coast Jazz." What the folks at Verve should have done instead of reissuing "Cool Sounds" was reissue the long out-of-print "More West Coast Jazz," and include tracks 5-9 from this disc as bonus tracks. Now that would have been cool!

Three stars for this masterpiece could be a greatly misleading rating even if the reviewer take his time to explain that he's judging the product, not the music. I will talk about the music instead. It is surely one of the best albums in the whole Getz enormous discography, full of gems by the way. You can buy it easily, you will not be disappointed, it's impossible. Getz swings lightly here, he flies over a perfect accompainment. In the first four tracks it is provided by a stellar west coast combo, Shelly Manne drums, Leroy Vinnegar double bass, Lou Levy piano. Impressive. It's simply a marvel. West coast jazz at its best, swinging, relaxing, coooooooool west coast jazz to die for. The year is 1955. Then you have 6 more tunes with different personnel. Bob Brookmeyer valve trobone, Tony Fruscella trumpet (they don't play in the same tunes, Fruscella palys only in "Blue bells" and "Roundup time"), Max Roach drums and lesser player. The program is composed only by standards plus an original by Brookmeyer at the end of the record. Getz sounds always perfect in his music, sometimes at least too perfect but a little bit cold (not cool, I mean cold). Art Pepper was of this same idea, "Stan's perfect but too cold" he used to say. I agree. But here Getz played so well that you almost can forget his perfectionism and enjoy fully his enormous talent and impeccable swing. "Cool sounds" is truly one of his best records. Be aware that this same music is contained in the West coast 3 cd box by Stan too. I own both. This cover is something you can't miss if you (like myself) love fifties records.

Man, who cares if some of the selections on this CD are on another collection! This is some fine "cool" jazz for those who like that style. The low-key understated playing by Getz on this disc would be a perfect addition to the collection of anyone who is a "west coast" or "cool" jazz listener.