Stan Getz - Serenity

Desert island album

I bought this CD back in the early 90's and have yet to find any album by anyone that can top it. If I had to take one CD to a desert island, this would be it. Stan was the best, and this is his finest overall disk. Kenny, Victor and Rufus are the perfect match. Energy, sublime finesse, gorgeous sound quality, inventive, the right amount of each component that goes into a great jazz album, ahhhhhhh. July 25, 2008

Definitely One Of Stan's Best.........

there would be a big argument about which one is THE BEST. As has been pointed out Stan seemed to be at his peak with this recording, only four years from his death.

It's difficult to add anything to what has already been said (a penalty for reviewing things that you've had but only recently "rediscovered" in playing it again). Stan was known for his great tone, "The Sound", which is really epitomized on this and similar cds. Four of the five selections on this set are personal favorites of mine with "On Green Dolphin Street" ranking highest.

The rhythm section, led by pianist Kenny Barron, can't be beat. Kenny was Stan's choice for the final five years. If you would have any doubts of his ability, I would suggest you listen to "Night And The City" with just him and bassist Charlie Haden.

Read the other reviews certainly......but some additional facts you may not know are that this cd reached #5 for jazz albums of 1991 on Billboard.It also won a 1991 Grammy for the best instrumental performance by a jazz soloist ( "I Remember You").

This is a superlative performance of modern mainstream which allowed the musicians to stretch out. It will be a welcome and prized addition to your collection! May 13, 2008

Late-Career Showcase

I considered giving this a "mere" 4 stars, because in some respects it's a fairly typical middle-of-the-road outing. However, the outstanding audio quality of this live recording--especially how well it captures the unique, gorgeous sound of Getz's tenor sax--nudged me to the higher rating. I own 7 Stan Getz CDs and they're all quite enjoyable, but this one, an early (1987) digital recording, SOUNDS best--probably by a substantial margin.

The other 3 musicians do good work throughout: Kenny Barron complements Getz beautifully and has quite a bit of nice solo space; Rufus Reid's bass is prominent in the mix and also heard in some fine solos; and drumming by Victor Lewis fits in well. But clearly Stan Getz is the star--and he shines ever so brightly here, at age 60, with but a few short years remaining. This is very accessible modern jazz that you can safely play for just about anyone.

April 18, 2007

Heavenly Stan

This is a review that I write with extreme pleasure because it's about a couple of discs that I really love since they came out in 1991. I'm talking about "Serenity" and "Anniversary" which are two albums that were recorded both July the 6th 1987 at Cafè Montmartre in Copenhagen. I remember that I heard that Stan already know to be at the end. He gave all that he still had inside here, he played here some of the best music of his life. No doubt. His sound was better than ever, his phrasing absolutly magnificient, unequalled. He was accompanied here by a very talented band, Kenny Barron piano, Victor Lewis drums and Rufus Reid double bass. They swang here as it was the most natural thing to do on Earth. The program is based on standards and it is exceptionally well balanced. It is even a very nice live recording, I may called it almost a "reference" album because it is very natural sounding. I mean, if you want some truly stellar Jazz, some truly stellar ballads and swinger standards, a master at the top of his game ... well let's begin buying these two discs from the immortal Stan getz. Some of the best music he played in his illustrious 5 decades career. You won't regret a single cent spent here. It's some of the best music I have ever listen to in more than twenty years of jazz. Buy both the albums and get the full picture of an heavenly Stan Getz. Maybe you can buy "People time" too. It's a recording that was made in this same period, a double cd set based on Stan and Kenny Barron duets. Fantastic. Believe me. December 31, 2005

A BEAUTIFUL SWAN SONG

This is quite possibly the most beautiful tenor playing I've ever heard. Getz was never known by his compatriots in jazz for having an abundance of licks in his repertoire. What he WAS respected for was his tone and beauty. SERENITY is a perfect example of that. This LIVE session was recorded in '87 just a few years before Stan's death in '91 and contains part of a beautiful swan song from one of the greatest Masters of West Coast Cool who ever lived. Most of his fans prefer the ANNIVERSARY set from these sessions. To me there was something extraordinary that happened on this night that makes me wish he had never left the stage or us. Every time I put it on I'm overwhelmed by it's smokin' beauty.

Stan said, "I believe you should try to make music as beautiful as you can. It should not be done with ugliness. There's so much hate in the world; you have to counteract it with lovliness."

When I remarked to a friend about this being, maybe the greatest jazz recording I own (and I own a lot of jazz), my friend said, "In all the years I've been going to the Playboy Jazz Festival, Stan Getz is the finest musician I've ever heard play at the Hollywood Bowl." That's a bold statement.

Kenny Barron on piano is the perfect compliment to Stan's gorgeous playing on this.

To say that Rufus Reid on bass and Victor Lewis on drums were on fire that night would be an understatement.

TO HONOR THIS RECORDING PLAY IT THROUGH INFINITY SPEAKERS AT A HIGH VOLUME. (Infinity speakers have the warmest sound I've ever heard for jazz playback.) I HOPE THIS BECOMES ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES TOO.

If you like Late-model Getz go out and get ANNIVERSARY, BLUE SKYS, and PEOPLE TIME. Or if you're on a tight budget buy CAFE MONTMARTRE. It contains ballad selections from SERENITY, ANNIVERSARY, and PEOPLE TIME. IF ONE OF THESE DOESN'T MAKE IT INTO YOUR TOP TEN JAZZ CDS OF ALL TIME, IT'S TIME TO SEE A DOCTOR. SOMETHING MIGHT BE WRONG WITH YOUR HEARING.

ENJOY.
April 9, 2005

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