Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley "Stan" Getzwas an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott Yanow as "one of the all-time great tenor saxophonists". Getz went on to perform in bebop and cool jazz, but is perhaps best known for...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSaxophonist
Date of Birth2 February 1927
CityPhiladelphia, PA
CountryUnited States of America
Stan Getz quotes about
The value of jazz still has to be clarified. People involve themselves with its superficialities without digging for its soul.
If you like an instrument that sings, play the saxophone. At its best it's like the human voice.
Other than conversation, no other art form can give the satisfaction of spontaneous interaction like Jazz.
You can read all the textbooks and listen to all the records, but you have to play with musicians that are better than you.
My life is music, and in some vague, mysterious and subconscious way, I have always been driven by a taut inner spring which has propelled me to almost compulsively reach for perfection in music, often - in fact, mostly - at the expense of everything else in my life.
A good quartet is like a good conversation among friends interacting to each other's ideas.
When I'm alcohol-free now and even to see the world around me, I appreciate it, but I never truly enjoy too much of it maybe because I feel like I'm a working musician. There are some joyous moments, but I will not think a joyous moment.
People think that I play effortlessly. I remember doing a record date with Bill Evans and afterwards he said to me, you make it sound so easy but when I get right up next to you you're working hard and making it sound easy!
Hearing myself so much all the time, I don't think I sound that special all the time because it's me.
I never have any trouble playing anything I can think of. The trouble is in thinking of what to play.