Stan Getz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stan Getz
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Getz in 1958
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stanley Getz |
| Born | February 2, 1927 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | June 6, 1991 (aged 64) Malibu, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1943–1991 |
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Stanley Getz (born February 2, 1927 – died June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. He mostly played the tenor saxophone. People called Getz "The Sound" because of his warm and beautiful tone. He was greatly influenced by Lester Young's soft and mellow sound.
Getz became famous in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band. Music expert Scott Yanow called him "one of the all-time great tenor saxophonists." Getz played in bebop and cool jazz groups. He also helped make bossa nova music popular in the United States. This happened with his hit song "The Girl from Ipanema" in 1964. He was influenced by Brazilian musicians João Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Start
Growing Up in Philadelphia and New York
Stan Getz was born on February 2, 1927, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Alexander, was a Ukrainian American immigrant. His mother, Goldie, was born in Philadelphia. His grandparents came from Kyiv, Ukraine, to escape difficult times. They first lived in London before moving to the United States in 1913. The family name was changed from "Gayetski" to Getz when they arrived in America.
The Getz family moved to New York City during the Great Depression. They were looking for better jobs. Stan was a good student and got straight A's.
Discovering the Saxophone
Stan was very interested in music. He played many instruments before his father bought him an alto saxophone when he was 13. He quickly learned to play other saxophones and the clarinet. But he loved the sound of the tenor saxophone the most. He practiced for eight hours a day. Getz said he only had about six months of lessons. He never formally studied music theory or harmony.
Stan went to James Monroe High School in the Bronx. In 1941, he joined the All-City High School Orchestra of New York City. This allowed him to get free lessons from Simon Kovar, a bassoon player from the New York Philharmonic. He also played saxophone at dances and parties. He left school to focus on music but was sent back by school officials.
A Career in Jazz Music
Joining Big Bands
In 1943, at age 16, Stan Getz joined Jack Teagarden's band. Because he was so young, Teagarden became his guardian. Getz also played with famous musicians like Nat King Cole and Lionel Hampton. He briefly played with Stan Kenton in Los Angeles.
From 1947 to 1949, Getz was a main soloist with Woody Herman's band, "The Second Herd." He became well-known as one of the band's saxophonists, called "The Four Brothers." The others were Serge Chaloff, Zoot Sims, and Herbie Steward. With Herman, he had a hit song called "Early Autumn" in 1948.
Starting a Solo Career
After leaving Woody Herman, Getz began his solo career. He hired Horace Silver's trio for touring shows in 1950. This helped Silver become known across the country. Getz also played with other great jazz musicians like Al Haig, Duke Jordan, Roy Haynes, Max Roach, and Tommy Potter.
His fame grew when he played on Johnny Smith's version of "Moonlight in Vermont" in 1952. This song became a hit and stayed on the music charts for months. A poll by DownBeat magazine voted it the second-best jazz record of 1952. The album Moonlight in Vermont was released in 1956.
In 1953, Getz played in the Dizzy Gillespie/Stan Getz Sextet. This group included Gillespie, Getz, Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, and Max Roach. In 1958, he moved to Copenhagen, Denmark. There, he performed with musicians like Jan Johansson and Oscar Pettiford.
Return to the United States and Bossa Nova
Getz came back to the U.S. from Europe in 1961. He recorded the album Focus with music arranged by Eddie Sauter. This album featured strings playing behind Getz's saxophone. In 2021, Chris May from the All About Jazz website called it "one of the great masterpieces of mid-twentieth century jazz."
Getz played a big part in bringing bossa nova music to American audiences. He teamed up with guitarist Charlie Byrd, who had just returned from Brazil. They recorded Jazz Samba in 1962. Getz won a Grammy Award in 1963 for his version of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Desafinado" from Jazz Samba. This song sold over one million copies.
His next bossa nova album, Big Band Bossa Nova, was recorded in 1962. He then recorded Jazz Samba Encore! with Brazilian guitarist Luiz Bonfá. This album also sold over a million copies by 1964.
The Girl from Ipanema
In 1963, Getz recorded the album Getz/Gilberto. He worked with Antônio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, and Gilberto's wife, Astrud Gilberto. Their recording of "The Girl from Ipanema" became a huge hit song in 1964. The Getz/Gilberto album won two Grammy Awards: Best Album and Best Single.
Getz also recorded Nobody Else But Me in 1964. This was a jazz album with a new group that included vibraphonist Gary Burton. However, his record label, Verve Records, wanted him to keep making bossa nova music. So, they did not release this album until 30 years later, after Getz had passed away.
Later Years and Achievements
In 1972, Getz recorded the jazz fusion album Captain Marvel. He played with Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Tony Williams. He also tried using an Echoplex effect on his saxophone during this time. He had a small role in the movie The Exterminator (1980).
In the mid-1980s, Getz often performed in the San Francisco Bay area. He also taught at Stanford University as an artist-in-residence at the Stanford Jazz Workshop until 1988. In 1986, he was added to the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame. In 1988, Getz worked with the band Huey Lewis and the News on their album Small World. He played a long saxophone solo on the title track.
His favorite tenor saxophone was the Selmer Mark VI.
Personal Life
Stan Getz married Beverly Byrne, a singer, on November 7, 1946. They had three children: Steve, David, and Beverly.
Later, Getz married Monica Silfverskiöld. Monica was the daughter of a Swedish doctor and former Olympic athlete. Monica helped raise all five children: Steven, David, Beverley, Pamela, and Nicolaus. Pamela and Nicolaus were from their own marriage. The family lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, for a time. Monica also became Stan's manager and was very important in his life.
In 1962, Monica returned to Sweden with the family. Stan sent her test recordings, including Jazz Samba. This album was very important for her ideas for the next record, Getz/Gilberto.
Monica and the family eventually returned from Sweden. In November 1962, many Brazilian musicians came to Carnegie Hall because of the bossa nova music craze. Monica suggested that Getz, Jobim, and Gilberto work together. Getz was not sure at first, but he agreed. They became very good friends while recording Getz/Gilberto.
Stan Getz was diagnosed with cancer in 1987.
Death
Stan Getz passed away from liver cancer on June 6, 1991. His ashes were scattered into the ocean from his saxophone case. This happened six miles off the coast of Marina del Rey, California.
In 1998, the Stan Getz Media Center and Library was opened at Berklee College of Music. This was made possible by a gift from the Herb Alpert Foundation.
Awards
- Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance, Soloist or Small Group (Instrumental) "Desafinado", 1962
- Grammy Award for Record of the Year, "The Girl from Ipanema", 1964
- Grammy Award for Album of the Year, Getz/Gilberto, Stan Getz and João Gilberto (Verve) 1964
- Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Small Group or Soloist With Small Group, Getz/Gilberto, Stan Getz 1964
- Grammy Award for Best Jazz Solo Performance, "I Remember You", 1991
See also
