Desafinado - Stan Getz (1962)
Jazz from 1960s Rio de Janeiro
Hey Jazzsters,
The thing about “modern jazz” is that it often shoots itself in the foot.
In other words, in the pursuit of artistry it ends up being difficult to listen to for the average punter.
Not the case today.
Today’s track:
Artist: Stan Getz
Album: Jazz Samba
Year: 1962
Olly’s Take
I’ve been a lifelong fan of Brazil, and I love Brazilian music. It’s the joie de vivre that I love - the sunshine and light that it brings.
Brazilian music is all about great tunes. Great, catchy, singable tunes. It’s not at all about the technique or the artistry, in the same way modern jazz is.
Brazilian music works best when it’s just laid down straight. And that’s why I love this classic 1960s recording — it’s really simple. That’s why it works.
This track is best appreciated for the pure, bossa nova swing.
Imagine you’re on Ipanema beach when you’re listening to this.
That’s all.
Who am I listening to?
Stan Getz is one of the great 20th Century saxophonists.
He’s known for really smooth, lyrical playing, and you can hear that in this recording.
He started playing in the 1940s, during the advent of bebop.
But then in the 1960s he pioneered the “cool jazz” sound that you can hear here.
What’s the music?
Here you’ve got a fusion of two styles of music:
jazz
Brazilian bossa nova
The band is a traditional jazz setup:
tenor saxophone
bass
drums/percussion
guitar
You might have noticed that there’s a guitar, instead of piano.
This is quite common, and makes for a smoother sound - perfect for Brazilian music and for the Cool Jazz that Stan Getz was going for.
3 things to listen for
Bossa Nova
Bossa nova is one of the classic styles of Brazil.
Here’s how to identify it:
The “straight” rhythm of the drums
The unique pattern played by the bass
Rhythmic chords on the guitar
Indulge yourself - listen once all the way through, paying attention just to rhythms of the instruments.
Can you hear how the “swing” is quite different from regular jazz?
Warm, lyrical saxophone
One of the reasons this jazz/Brazilian fusion works well is that Getz’s saxophone has just the right sound.
The saxophone is not at all piecing or wailing, in the way jazz sax can sometimes be (think John Coltrane during the same period).
It’s smooth, it’s lyrical, it’s soulful.
Just like Brazil.
Improvisation around the theme tune
Stan Getz plays a great solo in the middle of the track, and then plays the theme tune again to finish.
Except he doesn’t play it straight, like at the beginning.
He improvises around the tune, adding his own interpretation to it.
This begins at 04:00, right to the end.
It’s beautiful how he does it, not least because he keeps faithful to the bossa nova style throughout.
Share the music!
That’s all for today.
Please email me back and let me know which bits of the post you find most useful.
That way I know what to do more of!
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Until tomorrow,
Olly Richards
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