Stan Getz - Moments In Time (Remaster) (2016) [Hi-Res/DSD128]

This never-before-released music recorded in 1976 at San Francisco’s Keystone Korner Features the Stan Getz Quartet with tenor saxophonist Stan Getz and his rhythm section of pianist Joanne Brackeen, bassist Clint Houston and drummer Billy Hart.

Journalist Ted Panken describes Moments in Time as capturing the artists on this recording as a 'unit of thirty-something masters-in-the-making.' Keystone's producer Barkan recalls: 'Stan explained to me quite a few times backstage at Keystone Korner that 'I have never felt as free and as totally supported as I do with this band with Joanne Brackeen, Clint Houston, and Billy Hart. They are happy and free to go with me wherever I go . . .'' Barkan relates that Getz frequently told him that he felt the most comfortable at the famed San Francisco club, more than he did at any other club.

Pianist Brackeen, talks about playing with Getz in her interview with Feldman: 'I think that it kind of really displays the quartet at its best, which we rapidly became and stayed. And he had to be really daring to hire us. He already had his thing. He was already famous. He didn't have to have this band. And this band was crazy! I mean, we would do anything and everything we possibly could. We weren't just there as accompaniments . . . And then you hear how he played on it, it's so lyrical. He doesn't play one note that he doesn't mean. At any time. That's the one thing I guess that I would say about him that was so unique to me. And he also talked that way, when he was speaking.'

Saxophonist Joshua Redman pays homage to Getz: 'His virtuosity — he could play any tune in any key at any tempo, with command and control and a sense of relaxation.' And he further celebrates Getz's'. . . incredible storytelling ability — the natural, organic logic in the flow of his phrases and ideas.'

“Then approaching 50, Getz had left his suave, cool-school approach far behind, and with a fresh, energetic young band was attracting a new generation of admirers. Pianist Joanne Brackeen is outstanding. Her wide-ranging solos clearly inspire Getz to produce some wonderfully urgent and exciting improvisations, notably on Wayne Shorter’s composition Infant Eyes. Getz remarked at the time that he had never felt as free and “totally supported” as he did with Brackeen, bassist Clint Houston and drummer Billy Hart.” (Dave Gelly, The Observer)

„Poetic swing-era saxophonist Stan Getz, a genius with a tone soft enough to make purring cats sound harsh, is typecast by his chilled-out 1960s jazz samba hits. But he was a brilliant swing-to-bebop improviser in the right setting. This previously unreleased 1976 set from San Francisco’s Keystone Korner takes him outside his comfort zone with the unfamiliar trio of pianist Joanne Brackeen, bassist Clint Houston and drummer Billy Hart. Wayne Shorter’s Infant Eyes and Kenny Wheeler’s Latin-funky The Cry of the Wild Goose are among its eight covers, and Getz sounds as free as the wind despite the daunting post-bop unpredictability of his partners. Infant Eyes features shimmering hoots and transported ascents from Getz, with a solo of swirls and playful pirouettes from Brackeen. Getz the balladeer is masterly in Horace Silver’s Peace and Prelude to a Kiss, and he gallops with relish through Dizzy Gillespie’s Con Alma. A unique jazz encounter…“ (John Fordham, The Guardian)

„Recorded the same week as Getz/Gilberto '76, Resonance Records' companion album, 2016's Moments in Time, captures saxophonist Stan Getz performing live at San Francisco's Keystone Korner in May 1976. To celebrate the release of Getz's reunion album with Brazilian singer/guitarist João Gilberto, 1976's The Best of Two Worlds, the saxophonist booked a week of shows at the Keystone backed by his quartet and featuring Gilberto. Whereas Getz/Gilberto '76 showcases the Gilberto performances, Moments in Time finds Getz appearing alone with his band, featuring pianist Joanne Brackeen, drummer Billy Hart, and bassist Clint Houston. Despite the wealth and fame he accumulated from his initial 1960s bossa nova albums, Getz remained a creatively restless, forward-thinking artist over the coming years. His band here, arguably one of his best of the period, also bore this forward-looking vision out with performances that straddled the line between lyrical intimacy and aggressive, extroverted improvisation. One can also see where Getz's taste was at the time based on his song choices, pulling together standards like 'Summer Night' with more harmonically layered pieces like Wayne Shorter's languid and sultry 'Infant Eyes' and the funky Kenny Wheeler composition 'The Cry of the Wild Goose.' As with Getz/Gilberto '76, Moments in Time is a thoughtfully curated package featuring not only some of Getz's best live performances of the period, but also liner notes from producer Zev Feldman, Keystone Korner club owner Todd Barkan, and others, as well as interviews with bandmembers Hart and Brackeen.“ (Matt Collar, AMG)

Stan Getz, tenor saxophone
Joanne Brackeen, piano
Clint Houston, bass
Billy Hart, drums

Recorded live at Keystone Korner, San Francisco, May 11-16, 1976

Digitally remastered