Stan Getz - Stan Getz Quintet in Boston. Live at the Hi-Hat 1953 (2016)

These live performances were recorded in 1953 during one of Stan Getz’s visits to the Hi-Hat club in Boston. Apart from the sheer quality of the playing, these recordings are historically important, because they are the only available that capture one of the first public appearances of the then-recently-formed Getz quintet with valve-trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, here making his debut as a featured soloist.

Getz was 26 and after joining Norman Granz’ J.A.T.P in 1952 he had expanded his sound and developed an even more swinging beat, while still retaining his moving lyrical approach. Jazz enthusiasts, and the many fans of Stan Getz, will be thrilled to hear how the quintet sounded in its earliest days. Jimmy Giuffre summed up his feelings about the quintet in 1961 when he emphatically said “That band with Getz and Brookmeyer is my favorite of all the jazz groups I’ve ever heard.”