Stan Getz Finest Hour

Stan Getz | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 13, 2000)
• Original Release Date: June 13, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B00004ST4W
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #197,922 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Stan Getz had one of the most beautiful sounds in jazz history, a light, transparent gauze that mingled high and lows, grit and sweetness. More than just a tone, it was an airy, shifting, living thing that was one with his mercurial improvisations, his sinuous flow of lyrical ideas, and his kinetic, shifting phrases. It was a sound that arrangers loved to work with, and he's matched here with strings and brass, as well as with the small groups that were his typical settings. The ballads here--such as Ralph Burns's "Early Autumn"--are gorgeous, and Getz could bring cool-school lightness to the fastest bop tempos. His sound was an ideal match for the lightly percolating rhythms of bossa nova, with hits like "Desafinado" and "Girl from Ipanema," and it's hard to imagine the Brazilian rhythm's becoming so popular without him. Almost always beautiful, Getz's playing could also be adventurous, as on "I'm Late, I'm Late," with Eddie Sauter's angular, atonal string writing, and "Symptones," from a session with Francy Boland's big band. No hour of music could capture Getz's creative range, but this is an excellent introduction that focuses on some of his stellar moments. --Stuart Broomer

Product Description

GETZ STAN STAN GETZ S FINEST HOUR

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Many settings and moods for Stan the Man..., January 4, 2003

By 

William E. Adams (Midland, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stan Getz Finest Hour (Audio CD)

This compliation covers the sax player's best work between 1955 and '71 in only ten selections totalling 60 minutes. As an introduction to Getz, or just as an enjoyable jazz disc, I don't see how it could have been better. Some Bossa Nova is here, of course, but we also get Stan with orchestra, and with pianists, and guitarists, and vibes players. Some of the "name" artists who contribute: Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, Connie Kay, Shelly Manne, Charlie Byrd, Joao Gilberto, Antonio Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Gary McFarland, Doc Severinsen, Hank Jones, Jim Hall, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Clarke and Chick Corea. The star, however, is always Getz. There is a nice balance here of tempo and mood and well-known v. obscure selections. If you like jazz sax in general, Stan in particular, don't miss this one.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCELLENT AND OH SO SMOOTH ALBUM, February 20, 2003

By 

Stephan Mayer (sacramento, ca United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stan Getz Finest Hour (Audio CD)

Stan Getz without ANY doubt was the greatest saxophone player ever to walk the planet. NO one had that smooth and melodic tune. In fact, this album represent a good balance between very melodic romantic tunes, bossa nova (oh yes) and of course some wild swinging stuff. While I prefer the bossa nova and more mellow tunes, this album represent a good balance and place to begin for any recent or long time Stan Getz fan.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Girl From Ipanema deserves 5 stars alone, July 27, 2002

By 

Drew Hunkins (Madison, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Stan Getz Finest Hour (Audio CD)

Aside from having one of the greatest records in music history on this sensational album (Girl from Ipanema), Getz's Finest Hour includes a healthy sampling of the great saxaphonist's work.

There are two types of jazz recordings: day and night. This album ("album" itself becoming a quaint term with CDs ruling the market place) includes a smattering of both, the day variety, which are conducive to sitting in your favorite mid-day lounge chair while sipping a cool drink; and the night fare, which are cuts that are best heard in a smokey jazz club in the middle of the night. As mentioned, Finest Hour includes mesmerizing examples of both.

For an admittedly limited sampling one cannot go wrong with Getz's Finest Hour, it serves as a nice introduction into a musical genius.