Stan Getz The 1953-1954 Clef And Norgran Sessions

Product Description

Stan Getz The 1953-1954 Clef And Norgran Sessions on Limited Edition 180g 4LP Box Set

Box Set Contains Music Unavailable for Decades, and Never Before Released in Coherent Form

Featuring 32 Tracks Arranged by Session and Accompanied by an Exclusive Mosaic Booklet, Photos, and Essay by Ashley Kahn

“Like many of his generation, Getz was drawn to the subdued, airy tone and relaxed phrasing of Lester Young, and found a way to combine it with the advancements of bebop. His triumph was in forging a musical signature that remained fresh and stylistically flexible, even as new styles and musical ideas came and went.” – Ashley Khan, liner notes

One of Mosaic Records favorite exercises is to identify wonderful, forgotten little pockets in a great artist’s discography. A perfect example is the 1953-54 Stan Getz Quintet with Bob Brookmeyer which they shelved because it was too small even for a Mosaic Select. But after they launched a new, focused vinyl-only series of 3 and 4-LP sets, it became the perfect candidate.

Chronologically, these sessions for Norman Granz fell just after the quintet dates with Raney, before Stan Getz had risen to the dizzying heights of extreme popularity and when he was still basking in the glow of his stint as part of Woody Herman’s Four Brothers saxophone section. Released on the Clef and Norgran labels just at the transition from 10″ to 12″ LPs, the tracks got recycled on Verve across many records, were combined with other songs from other dates, or were forgotten entirely.

Now, for the first time in decades, they are available again on LP. Three alternate takes buried in the vaults, and a recording of “ Pot Luck” initially released on 78 only, appear on LP for the first time ever. It’s a great retrospective of the music of a man who reached an almost unparalleled position in jazz and widespread, international celebrity.

The group on these Norgran sessions was a real working band, and valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer’s soloing ability was up to the task of matching Getz’s standards. His musical pairing with Brookmeyer was one of those inspired arrangements that produced exceptional music. Brookmeyer’s tone was warm and dry, like Getz’s, but the blend they created was only partially about the sonic affinity they shared. They were entirely on the same wavelength when it came to developing and expressing musical ideas, almost like the same guy picking up a different instrument. Credit Getz’s personal sound and free-flowing musical ideas for what identifies this music, but not without equal credit to the byplay with Brookmeyer.

The quintet of this era also included the excellent John Williams on piano, and briefly after Brookmeyer left to join Gerry Mulligan, Tony Fruscella on trumpet. Drummer Al Levitt or Frank Isola and bassists Bill Crow, Teddy Kotick or Bill Anthony round out the line-up.Mosaic’s set also includes an excellent quartet date with Jimmy Rowles, Bob Whitlock and Max Roach recorded midway through the quintet’s life.

As was common on Granz projects that often featured highlights of the great American songbook, there are many well-known selections included in this release, such as “ It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” “I’ll Remember April,” “Give Me The Simple Life,” “Willow Weep For Me,” “We’ll Be Together Again” and many more.

“These records do not feel “remastered” in the classic sense. Rather, they sound as if you had uncovered a pristine set in a hermetically sealed, temperature-controlled environment.”
–Jeff Dorgay, TONE Audio, Issue 39

Box Set Contents:
– 4 x 180g LPs mastered from analog sources using the original Clef/Norgran master tapes
– 32 tracks arranged by session
– Exclusive Mosaic booklet with an essay by Ashley Kahn and track-by-track analysis
– Photos from the era capture the magic as they were making it

Stan Getz The 1953-1954 Clef And Norgran Sessions Track Listing:

LP1
1.  Have You Met Miss Jones (R. Rodgers-L. Hart)
2.  Erudtion (Bob Brookmeyer)
3.  Cool Mix (Bob Brookmeyer)
4.  Rustic Hop (Bob Brookmeyer)
5.  Love And The Weather (Irving Berlin)
6.  Spring Is Here (R. Rodgers-L. Hart)
7.  Pot Luck (Johnny Mandel)
8.  Willow Weep For Me (Ann Ronell)
9.  Crazy Rhythm (Caesar-Kahn-Meyer)
10. The Nearness Of You (H. Carmichael-N. Washington)

LP2
1. Minor Blues (Bob Brookmeyer)
2. Fascinating Rhythm (G. Gershwin-I. Gershwin)
3. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (R. Rodgers –L. Hart)
4. Tangerine (J. Mercer-V. Schertzinger)
5. It Don’t Mean A Thing (D. Ellington-I. Mills)
6. The Varsity Drag (Brown-De Sylva-Henderson)

LP3
1. Give Me The Simple Life (H. Ruby-R. Bloom)
2. I’ll Remember April (DePaul-Johnston-Raye)
3. Oh Jane Snavely (Bob Brookmeyer)
4. We’ll Be Together Again (F. Laine-C. Fischer)
5. Feather Merchant (J. Mundy-C. Basie)
6. Flamingo (E. Anderson-T. Grouya)

LP4
1. It Don’t Mean A Thing (alt version) (D. Ellington-I. Mills)
2. Pot Luck (78 take) (Johnny Mandel)
3. Blue Bells (Phil Sunkel)
4. Round Up Time (Phil Sunkel)
5. Nobody Else But You (O. Hammerstein-J. Kern)
6. Down By The Sycamore Tree
7. I Hadn’t Anyone Till You (Ray Noble)
8. With The Wind And The Rain In Your Hair (J. Lawrence-C. Edwards)
9. Nobody Else But You (alt take) (O. Hammerstein-J. Kern)
10. I Hadn’t Anyone Till You (alt take) (Ray Noble)

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