Jasmine Records Stan GETZ - Melody Express 1948-52 CD

Although much admired for his ability to transcend musical boundaries and for his uncanny knack of finding and developing promising talent, the great tenor saxophonist Stan Getz (1927-91) is best remembered as undeniably the finest ballad player in all of jazz. Getz made no secret of his adherence to his idol Lester Young's dictum of "telling a story" whenever he played and there can be little doubt that his most cogent and captivating tales were told during his explorations of melodic compositions. Indeed, Getz's initial reputation was built upon his acheingly beautiful contribution to arranger Ralph Burns "Early Autumn" made whilst he was with Woody Herman's Herd in 1948, so, almost uniquely amongst young jazz icons ( only Chet Baker -Getz personal nemesis- rivals him in this) he was first hailed for his ballad skills rather than for the three-alarm precocity one usually associates with youthful virtuosos.
Produced by Simon Spillett