How old is stan getz

By the early s Getz had been on top of the jazz world for more than a decade, and fashions were inevitably changing; the extreme playing of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman, pushing at the edges of established jazz procedures, attracted the attention of jazz audiences and writers.

But Getz found a new and congenial stylistic home for his smooth playing, first with a widely hailed recording with string orchestra called Focus in , and then later that year with a then-little-known Brazilian style called bossa nova.

Jazz Samba rose to the top spot on Billboard 's album sales chart, the first jazz LP to do so. It missed the top spot on the Billboard chart only because it appeared simultaneously with the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night.

Getz remained financially comfortable for the rest of his life as a result of these recordings, and though he eventually tired of playing his big bossa nova hits, he established the Brazilian influence as a permanent part of the jazz vocabulary—one of his most significant accomplishments.

The jazz-rock fusion trends of the s were not really congenial ones for Getz, although he did experiment with the use of electronic instruments from time to time. Recording for the Columbia label he assembled a series of bands that contained the future stars of jazz; one of these was pianist Chick Corea, whose composition "La Fiesta" appeared on Getz's Captain Marvel LP of Getz had a solid core of admirers, many of them in Europe, who contin- ued to support his straight-ahead acoustic jazz concerts and recordings.

Getz's personal life continued to trouble him in the s; a combination of alcohol abuse and depression over the years had left him prone to sprees of rage, and his marriage to Monica dissolved in in an acrimonious divorce proceeding that eventually reached the U. Supreme Court. No matter what demons might beset him, however, Getz was recognized over his entire career for delivering performances of consistently high quality.

His releases Serenity and Anniversary were critically acclaimed, and 's Apasionado returned the saxophonist to a Brazilian zone of influence. In his last years, Getz finally achieved total sobriety.

Looking toward a third marriage and new musical projects near the end of the s, Getz was diagnosed with liver cancer. He kept performing, and the disease remained stable for several years. One of the most beautiful vocal collaborations of his entire career was You Gotta Pay the Band , recorded in with singer Abbey Lincoln. Getz remained active until his death on June 6, The legacy of musicians he had directly inspired included Arkansas governor Bill Clinton, soon to be elected president of the United States.

Maggin, Donald L. Toggle navigation. Books Contemporary Musicians , volume 12, Gale Periodicals Billboard , June 22, Boston Globe , June 8, Independent London, England , June 8, New York Times , June 9, New York Times Magazine , June 9, Issued shortly after his death from liver cancer in , it is a distillation of all of his gifts.

Getz was born in Philadelphia in , but moved to the Bronx as a youngster during the Depression as his family sought jobs. From the time he was six, he began playing along with the radio on a harmonica. Anywhere he went, if there were musical instruments around Getz would gravitate to them. His father bought him a saxophone and clarinet when he was At age 16 in , he dropped out of school and became the ward of trombonist and bandleader Jack Teagarden while playing in his band.

This was followed by stints with Stan Kenton , Jimmy Dorsey , and Benny Goodman ; he soloed on a few records with Goodman. Getz , who had his recording debut as a leader in July with four titles, became famous during his period with Woody Herman's Second Herd , soloing along with Zoot Sims , Herbie Steward , and Serge Chaloff on the original version of "Four Brothers," and having his sound well-featured on the ballad "Early Autumn.

During the early '50s, he broke away from the Lester Young style to form his own musical identity, and he was soon among the most popular of all jazzmen. He discovered Horace Silver in and used him in his quartet for several months. After touring Sweden in , he formed an exciting quintet that co-featured guitarist Jimmy Raney ; their interplay on uptempo tunes and tonal blend on ballads were quite memorable.

Getz 's playing helped Johnny Smith have a hit in "Moonlight in Vermont"; during , Bob Brookmeyer made his group a quintet and, despite some drug problems during the decade, Getz was a constant poll winner. After spending in Europe, the tenor man returned to the U. Then, in February , Getz helped usher in the bossa nova era by recording Jazz Samba with Charlie Byrd ; their rendition of "Desafinado" was a big hit.

Getz could have spent the next decade sticking to bossa nova, but instead he de-emphasized the music and chose to play more challenging jazz. His regular group during this era was a piano-less quartet with vibraphonist Gary Burton , he recorded with Bill Evans , played throughout the Eddie Sauter soundtrack for Mickey One , and made the classic album Sweet Rain with Chick Corea.

Although not all of Getz 's recordings from the period are essential, he proved that he was not afraid to take chances. After utilizing pianist Joanne Brackeen in his quartet, Getz explored some aspects of fusion with his next unit, which featured keyboardist Andy Laverne.

Getz even used an Echoplex on a couple of songs but, despite some misfires, most of his dates with this unit are worthwhile. He acquired a beat-up alto saxophone in , played local gigs and saved enough to buy a tenor. In he quit school and joined the band of trombonist Jack Teagarden which broke up in southern California where Getz settled. In he joined the Stan Kenton band and, at eighteen, became its premiere soloist. He left the following year to join first Jimmy Dorsey and then Benny Goodman , who fired him for missing performances while he was scuffling for heroin.

Getz left the Herd in while he was number one tenor saxophonist in Metronome magazine and second in the Down Beat poll. He was 22 years old, addicted to alcohol and heroin, married and a father. Still he toured internationally, recorded prolifically as a leader, and maintained his popularity in the jazz polls.

In he was arrested on a narcotics charge and spent a few months in jail. But he continued to maintain an impressive musical career.

In he moved to Copenhagen, returning to the U. He recorded a critically acclaimed album, Focus , with the orchestra of arranger Eddie Sauter and was introduced to Brazilian music by guitarist Charlie Byrd with whom he recorded Jazz Samba.

The album rose to number one on the charts in and earned Getz a Grammy for best jazz solo. Never one to stand still musically and eager to flex his jazz muscles, Getz formed a pianoless quartet with vibist Gary Burton at the same time of his bossa nova recordings. The only constant in his life was his music. Finally in he attained sobriety.