Stan Getz & Bill Evans

Performer: Stan Getz
Artist: Ron Carter; Elvin Jones; Richard Davis
Engineer: Rudy Van Gelder
Producer: Creed Taylor
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Stan Getz (tenor saxophone); Bill Evans (piano); Ron Carter, Richard Davis (bass); Elvin Jones (drums). Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on May 5 & 6, 1964. Includes liner notes by James Isaacs. Digitally remastered by Dennis Drake (Polygram Studios). The only studio meeting between Stan Getz and Bill Evans took place over two days in 1964, with the aggressive drummer Elvin Jones and either Richard Davis or Ron Carter on bass. It is peculiar that Verve shelved the results for over a decade before issuing any of the music, though it may have been felt that Getz and Evans hadn't had enough time to achieve the desired chemistry, though there are memorable moments. The punchy take of "My Heart Stood Still," the elegant interpretation of "Grandfather's Waltz," and the lush setting of the show tune "Melinda" all came from the first day's session, with Davis on bass. Evidently he was unavailable the following day, so Carter replaced him. Evans' driving, challenging "Funkallero" is the obvious highlight from day two, though the gorgeous "But Beautiful" and the breezy setting of "Night and Day" are also enjoyable. Only the brief version of "Carpetbagger's Theme," which seems badly out of place and suggestive of the label's interference with the session, is a bit of a disappointment. Obviously neither Getz nor Evans liked the tune, as they go through the motions in a very brief performance. This reissue, which came out in the late '80s, adds three unissued alternate takes, though additional material from the sessions was included in the box set The Complete Bill Evans on Verve. ~ Ken Dryden

Tenor saxophonist Stan Getz possessed a full, luxuriant tone and a highly melodic improvisational sense. Though he produced consistently rewarding music for the duration of his near 50-year career, he achieved the greatest success in the early '60s when he led the American part of the bossa nova explosion. Indeed, this brilliant fusion of jazz and Brazilian rhythms yielded the tune, "The Girl From Ipanema," which became one of the biggest selling jazz records in history.

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