STAN GETZ : BIG BAND BOSSA NOVA (arranged and conducted by GARY MC FARLAND)

STAN GETZ
Stan Getz, cujo nome completo era Stanley Gayetsky (Filadélfia, 2 de fevereiro de 1927 — Malibu, Califórnia, 6 de junho de 1991) foi um dos músicos norte-americanos que primeiro percebeu a beleza, as nuances da "bossa-nova" e - certamente - vislumbrou o quanto seria rentável o novo filão. Tornou-se, ao lado do guitarrista Charlye Bird, um dos principais responsáveis pela difusão do movimento pelo mundo. Sua carreira como músico de jazz não era das mais brilhantes, até então. Na verdade foi só depois de gravar com Tom Jobim e João Gilberto, que se abriram as portas do sucesso e da fortuna para Getz, que acabou se tornando o saxofonista "oficial" da bossa-nova. Aliás o próprio som do sax-tenor não combinava com a bossa-nova. Faça um teste: feche os olhos e imagine se, ao invés do insosso Getz, ali estivessem, por exemplo, Lee Konitz ou Paul Desmond, prá citar apenas dois dos grandes saxofonistas americanos infinitamente superiores, em tudo, a Stan Getz. Mas o cara nasceu com a face virada prá lua e deu no que deu. Uma pena, porque a BN merecia coisa melhor, já que o violonista Charlie Byrd também não era nenhuma "brastemp"...
(CB)
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STAN GETZ
Stanley Gayetsky (February 2, 1927 in Philadelphia – June 6, 1991 in Malibu, California), usually known by his stage name Stan Getz, was an American jazz saxophone player during the mid 40's and 50's. Known as "The Sound" because of
his warm, lyrical tone, Getz's prime influence was the wispy, mellow tone of his idol, Lester Young. In 1986, however, Getz said: "I never consciously tried to conceive of what my sound should be..." In the 1950s, Getz became popular playing cool jazz with Horace Silver, Johnny Smith, Oscar Peterson, and many
others. His first two quintets were notable for their personnel, including Charlie Parker's rhythm section of drummer Roy Haynes, pianist Al Haig and bassist Tommy Potter. A 1953 line-up of the Dizzy Gillespie/Stan Getz Sextet featured Gillespie, Getz, Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Max Roach. Getz became involved with drugs and alcohol while a teenager. In 1954, he was arrested for attempting to rob a
pharmacy to get a morphine fix. As he was being processed in the prison ward of Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, Beverly gave birth to their third child one floor below. Getz tried to escape his narcotics addiction by moving to Copenhagen. He married Swedish aristocrat Monica Silfverskiöld on 3 November 1956 and had two children with her: Pamela and Nicolas. In 1957 Swedish girlfriend Inga Torgnér gave birth to a son Peter. Stan divorced Monica in 1987. Zoot Sims, who had known Getz since their time with Herman, once described him as 'a nice bunch of guys', as a consequence of the wide behavioural range of which Getz was capable. In the final stages of his life Getz was able to end his addictions. Returning to America from Europe in 1961, Getz became a central figure in Bossa nova. Along with Charlie Byrd, who had just returned from a U.S. State Department tour of Brazil, Getz recorded Jazz Samba in 1962 and it became a hit. The title track was an adaptation of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "One Note Samba (Samba de Uma Nota Só)". Getz won the Grammy for Best Jazz Performance of 1963 for "Desafinado". He then recorded with Tom Jobim, João Gilberto and his wife, Astrud Gilberto. Their "The Girl from Ipanema" won a Grammy Award. The title piece became one of the most well-known latin jazz pieces of all time. Getz/Gilberto won two Grammys (Best Album and Best Single), besting The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night, a victory for Bossa Nova and Brazilian jazz. Unfortunately, Getz' affair with Astrud Gilberto brought an end to his musical partnership with her and her husband and slowly he began to move away from bossa-nova and back to cool jazz. Even while still working with the Gilbertos, he recorded Nobody Else But Me an album of straightforward jazz with a new quartet including vibraphonist Gary Burton, but Verve Records, wishing to continue building the Getz brand with bossa-nova, refused to release it. It eventually came out 30 years later, after Getz had died of liver cancer in 1991.
(From Wikipedia, edited by CB)
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GARY MC FARLAND
Gary McFarland (b. October 23, 1933) was one of the more significant contributors to orchestral jazz during the 1960s. He had an unfortunately short career. But he was surprisingly productive in the brief decade he was actually - and fortunately - an "adult prodigy," as Gene Lees once noted. McFarland was an ingenious composer whose music revealed shades of complex emotional subtlety and clever childlike simplicity. While in the army, he became interested in jazz and attempted to play trumpet, trombone and piano he took up playing the vibes. Displaying a quick ability for interesting writing, he obtained a scholarship to the Berklee School of Music. He spent one semester there in 1959 and with the encouragement of pianist John Lewis, concentrated on large-band arrangements of his own compositions. He attained early notoriety and success through top-drawer affiliations (Anita O'Day, Bob Brookmeyer, Gerry Mulligan), unique arrangements and an early devotion and sympathetic understanding of the bossa nova (Stan Getz, Bob Brookmeyer). Gary McFarland died November 3, 1971 in New York City of a heart attack.
(Excerpt from Wikipedia - edited by CB)
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MY OPINION: Big Band Bossa Nova (1962), for Verve, with arrangements and conduction by Gary McFarland was recorded in two days, only. From the sudden success of "Jazz Samba" and "Desafinado," Stan Getz asked the tallented Gary McFarland to arrange a bossa nova album for big band. Getz feels completely at home in the Brazilian idiom that he'd adopted a short time ago. McFarland keeps things nice, allowing the soloists all the room they need to express their ideas. The album is a Creed Taylor's production and four of the eight songs were penned by McFarland. Just like João Gilberto who hates the sound of Getz's saxophone, it bores me too. Anyway the band sounds good, with nice arrangements, despite of a poor repertoire.
CB
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MINHA OPINIÃO - com tanto saxofonista maravilhoso nos U.S.A. a "bossa-nova" foi cair nos braços do "meloso e açucarado" Stan Getz, um ingrato que roubou a bela Astrud do João Gilberto... Aliás, JG, mesmo antes de ter sido "passado prá trás" já detestava e vivia implicando com o som do saxofone de Getz. Este álbum tem bons momentos, em "Chega de Saudade" e "Samba de uma nota só". O que não entendi foi como um produtor competente como Creed Taylor, dispondo de um vasto repertório de temas originais da BN, extremamente vendáveis, (dentre eles a enjoativa "Manhã de Carnaval"), encaixou no álbum quatro desconhecidas composições do Gary Mc Farland. (Money talks!). Mas como o que vale aqui neste blog não é o meu gosto pessoal nem a antipatia por Stan Getz, este álbum está sendo postado por se inserir entre os mais
importantes gravados nos USA, ainda no alvorecer da bossa-nova na terra do Tio Sam.

(*) Ah, os componentes da banda são todos excelentes músicos, à exceção dos brasileiros José Paulo e Carmem Costa, duas "malas" que viviam metendo o nariz em tudo que tivesse o rótulo bossa nova - "ex vi", Concerto do Carnegie Hall, onde se intrometeram tocando pandeiro, dançando "samba-no-pé", cantando (?) etc. Quase estragaram a festa...

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STAN GETZ : BIG BAND BOSSA NOVA (arranged and conducted by GARY MC FARLAND)
Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
Original Release Date: August 27, 1962
Label: Polygram Records

FAIXAS/TRACKS:
01 - Manha De Carnival
02 - Balanco No Samba
03 - Melancholio
04 - Entre Amigos
05 - Chega De Saudade
06 - Noite Triste
07 - Samba De Uma Nota So
08 - Bim Bom

PERSONNEL:
Gary Mc Farland - arranger
Stan Getz - tenor saxophone
Bernie Glow, Romeo Penque - bass clarinet
Tony Studd, Tommy Williams - bass
Ray Alonge - French horn
Nick Travis - trumpet
Ray Beckenstein - flute, clarinet
Eddie Caine - alto flute
Willie Dennis - trombone
Joe Ferrante, Gary McFarland - conductor
Johnny Rae - drums
Gerald Sanfino - flute
Jose Paulo - tambourine
Babe Clark, Carmen Costa - cabassa
Walt Levinsky - clarinet

Also:
Hank Jones, piano
Clark Terry, trumpet
Jim Hall, guitar
Bob Brookmeyer, Doc Severinsen, trombones

DOWNLOAD: AQUI