STAN GETZ QUARTET WITH MOSE ALLISON - The Soft Swing
Phono 870254
STAN GETZ tenor saxophone; MOSE ALLISON piano; ADDISON FARMER bass; JERRY SEGAL drums
New York, July 12, 1957.
[6-16] BONUS TRACKS:
(6-7): Same personnel as above. Mutual broadcast from the Village Vanguard, New York, June 29, 1957.
(8-11): Same personnel as above except Jug Taylor (b), Fred Benito (d).
Mutual broadcast from the Village Vanguard, New York, June 22, 1957.
(12): Same personnel as above except Willie Stump, Jr. (b), Frank Isola (d).
Mutual broadcast from the Red Hill Inn, Pennsauken, New Jersey, February 16, 1957.
(13-16): Same personnel as above except Jug Taylor (b), Paul Motian (d).
Mutual broadcast from the Red Hill Inn, Pennsauken, New Jersey, May 18, 1957.
Includes a sixteen page booklet.
Only the first five tracks here made up the original album ‘The Soft Swing’, the rest of the tracks are ‘bonus tracks’.
John Coltrane once said that he wanted to sound like Stan Getz.’Let's face it--we'd all sound like that if we could.’ Coltrane was not the only musician to feel that way. Getz was one of the dominant voices in the 1950s when this was recorded. The fifties Getz, this album was recorded in 1957, was a different musician from the Getz of later years. Here he is closer to his original inspiration, Lester Young. Jazz critic Nat Hentoff in an excellent essay for the original liner notes says that all the elements of Getz’ style: ‘tone, time, phrasing and conception - complemented each other logically. The result was an organic completeness in his musical, if not his off-the-stand personality, that is relatively rare in jazz.’
This was a short lived group, lasting just months. Pianist Mose Allison fits well into the group. It is a shame that he does not get a chance to sing because he is one of the most idiosyncratic singers in the whole of jazz. He is a competent pianist and smooths the harmonic path for Getz. Addison Farmer on bass and Jerry Segal on drums support well in the style of the time.
The recording quality of the main sides (1 to 5) is good; they were recorded under the aegis of Norman Granz for Verve. The rest of the sides (6 to 16) are bootleg quality. Some times the sound is bearable but at other times it is a difficult listen . There is an amusing anecdote attached to final track: ‘Ain’t You A Mess”. That piece was reserved for noisy customers. Getz would announce: ‘We will now play a number by our pianist ‘Ain’tYou A Mess” staring straight at the noisy group as he said it.
Hentoff in his notes argues that Getz has not ascended the Olympian heights of Miles, Louis and Monk. That is setting the bar very high but he is probably right. Nevertheless, the CD is a great example of pure Getz in the early stages of his musical life. Hentoff finishes by saying: ‘Whichever way he goes, it’ll seldom be a waste of time to hear what he is saying.’ True.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
Phono 870254
STAN GETZ tenor saxophone; MOSE ALLISON piano; ADDISON FARMER bass; JERRY SEGAL drums
New York, July 12, 1957.
[6-16] BONUS TRACKS:
(6-7): Same personnel as above. Mutual broadcast from the Village Vanguard, New York, June 29, 1957.
(8-11): Same personnel as above except Jug Taylor (b), Fred Benito (d).
Mutual broadcast from the Village Vanguard, New York, June 22, 1957.
(12): Same personnel as above except Willie Stump, Jr. (b), Frank Isola (d).
Mutual broadcast from the Red Hill Inn, Pennsauken, New Jersey, February 16, 1957.
(13-16): Same personnel as above except Jug Taylor (b), Paul Motian (d).
Mutual broadcast from the Red Hill Inn, Pennsauken, New Jersey, May 18, 1957.
Includes a sixteen page booklet.
Only the first five tracks here made up the original album ‘The Soft Swing’, the rest of the tracks are ‘bonus tracks’.
John Coltrane once said that he wanted to sound like Stan Getz.’Let's face it--we'd all sound like that if we could.’ Coltrane was not the only musician to feel that way. Getz was one of the dominant voices in the 1950s when this was recorded. The fifties Getz, this album was recorded in 1957, was a different musician from the Getz of later years. Here he is closer to his original inspiration, Lester Young. Jazz critic Nat Hentoff in an excellent essay for the original liner notes says that all the elements of Getz’ style: ‘tone, time, phrasing and conception - complemented each other logically. The result was an organic completeness in his musical, if not his off-the-stand personality, that is relatively rare in jazz.’
This was a short lived group, lasting just months. Pianist Mose Allison fits well into the group. It is a shame that he does not get a chance to sing because he is one of the most idiosyncratic singers in the whole of jazz. He is a competent pianist and smooths the harmonic path for Getz. Addison Farmer on bass and Jerry Segal on drums support well in the style of the time.
The recording quality of the main sides (1 to 5) is good; they were recorded under the aegis of Norman Granz for Verve. The rest of the sides (6 to 16) are bootleg quality. Some times the sound is bearable but at other times it is a difficult listen . There is an amusing anecdote attached to final track: ‘Ain’t You A Mess”. That piece was reserved for noisy customers. Getz would announce: ‘We will now play a number by our pianist ‘Ain’tYou A Mess” staring straight at the noisy group as he said it.
Hentoff in his notes argues that Getz has not ascended the Olympian heights of Miles, Louis and Monk. That is setting the bar very high but he is probably right. Nevertheless, the CD is a great example of pure Getz in the early stages of his musical life. Hentoff finishes by saying: ‘Whichever way he goes, it’ll seldom be a waste of time to hear what he is saying.’ True.
Reviewed by Jack Kenny
