STAN GETZ – 1952-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1379 (2003) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This fifth installment in the Classics Stan Getz chronology opens with a 60-mph workout on Sigmund Romberg's "Lover, Come Back to Me." Accompanied by pianist Duke Jordan, guitarist Jimmy Raney, bassist Bill Crow, and drummer Frank Isola, and using everything he learned about saxophones from Lester Young and Charlie Parker, Getz also sounds at times a tiny bit like his contemporaries John LaPorta and Lee Konitz. Several of these 12 sides recorded for the Mercury, Norgran, and Royal Roost labels during December 1952 are slow luxurious ballads, a treat for anyone enamored of Getz's intoxicating suede-toned manner. "Lullaby of Birdland," "Fools Rush In," "How Deep Is the Ocean?," and especially this band's spirited rendition of Gigi Gryce's "Hymn to the Orient" are invigorating examples of what Getz could accomplish at higher velocities. Four Mercury/Clef sides recorded on April 16, 1953, are infused with composer and valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer's smooth ideas and cool textures. "Erudition" is a particularly rewarding dose of hot modernity. The rhythm section of Bill Crow, drummer Al Levitt, and pianist John Williams works wonders here behind the pleasantly paired horns. The four tracks closing this excellent compilation were recorded for Prestige on April 23, 1953, with Frank Isola behind the drums, pianist Hall Overton, bassist Red Mitchell, and heavily featured guitarist Jimmy Raney, who composed three of the four tunes rendered on that day. Note also that a few years later, some of the players heard on this disc -- Brookmeyer, Mitchell, and Isola -- would show up gigging with Lee Konitz in Paris. arwulf arwulf 

STAN GETZ – 1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1395 (2005) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Tracklist + Credits :

STAN GETZ - Stan Getz Plays (1954-2004) Universal Jazz The Best - 30 / MONO / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tenor saxophonist Stan Getz is in excellent form playing with one of his finest groups, a quintet with guitarist Jimmy Raney and pianist Duke Jordan. Although the music does not quite reach the excitement level of the Getz-Raney Storyville session, this music (particularly the ballads) really shows off the tenor's appealing tone. This set is rounded out by four titles that Getz cut with a quartet in 1954 that co-starred pianist Jimmy Rowles. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Stella by Starlight 2:41
Ned Washington / Victor Young
2     Time on My Hands 2:55
Harold Adamson / Mack Gordon / Vincent Youmans
3     'Tis Autumn 3:11
Henry Nemo
4     The Way You Look Tonight 3:01
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern
5     Lover, Come Back to Me 2:54
Oscar Hammerstein II / Sigmund Romberg
6     Body and Soul 3:14
Frank Eyton / Johnny Green / Edward Heyman / Robert Sour
7     Stars Fell on Alabama 3:21
Mitchell Parish / Frank Perkins
8     You Turned the Tables on Me 2:55
Louis Alter / Sidney Mitchell
9     Thanks for the Memory 3:17
Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin
10     Hymn of the Orient 2:53
Gigi Gryce
11     These Foolish Things 3:20
Harry Link / Holt Marvell / Jack Strachey
12     How Deep Is the Ocean? 2:48
Irving Berlin
Credits :
Stan Getz : Tenor Saxophone,
Jimmy Raney : Guitar,
Duke Jordan : Piano,
Bill Crow : Bass,
Frank Isola : Drums