Stan Getz & Albert Dailey - Poetry (2001)

Recorded in 1983, Poetry reunited Stan Getz with pianist Al Dailey. Their previous collaborations (notably 1974's The Master for Columbia) were in a quartet context; this CD eschews bass and drums, and on two selections, "Round Midnight" and "Lover Man", even Getz himself lays out. The tenorist was from the outset a wonderful judge of pianists, and over the years his bands featured some of the finest; it is nonetheless doubtful if any surpassed Dailey's partnerships with him. Indeed, Poetry is arguably the equal of People Time, the magnificent date Getz made with Kenny Barron and which was probably his last studio recording. On Poetry the playing throughout is adventurous and ravishing. Bop classics such as "Confirmation" and "Tune Up" rub shoulders with Thad Jones's gorgeous "A Child Is Born" and an old Getz favorite, the rhapsodic "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most." The musicians' rapport is palpable, while the aforementioned solo piano numbers abound in poignancy no less than grandeur: within a year of recording them, Dailey would be dead, aged just 46. Now Getz too is gone, adding increased pathos to performances of noble beauty. An album to treasure for as long as you retain the slightest interest in jazz. --Richard Palmer