Stan Getz and His Influence on Jazz

Stanley Getz was born in Philadelphia on February 2nd, 1927. He was a very famous saxophone player that indulged in his projects as well as collaborated with other jazz musicians such as Nat King Cole. Stan played with him in a Los Angeles-based group called The Second Herd. He left the band to pursue his solo career, as well as one of the bandmates named Stan Kenton telling him that his inspiration was “too simple” - and that’s where the dagger struck Kenton.

Getz went on to have a very successful solo career creating hits like "So Danco Samba" and "The Girl From Ipanema". His collaborations with Joao Gilberto on the album Getz/Gilberto released in 1964 is an amazing LP to start with for those who are unfamiliar with his work. He has paved the way for so many modern samba and jazz musicians. He demonstrated how much you can do with a 32 bar solo as well as trade-offs with other instruments that opened up a more experimental approach to soloing. "So Danco Samba" was the first track I ever heard from Getz. In my high school jazz band, we would usually have a lot of time to learn new pieces after gigs. Our instructor would divide us into bands of four to play a piece of our liking from his options and Getz’s track was our choice. I’m so thankful to have been introduced to this music. Jazz band did a great job of opening my music library and theory, a two-in-one combo that cannot be beaten. Hope everyone is doing well and has a wonderful rest of their day!