One of the all-time great tenor saxophonists, Stan Getz was known as “The Sound” because he had one of the most beautiful tones ever heard. Getz, whose main early influence was Lester Young, grew to be a major influence himself and to his credit he never stopped evolving.
Stan Getz had the opportunity to play in a variety of major swing big bands while a teenager due to the World War II draft. He was with Jack Teagarden (1943) when he was just 16 and this was followed by stints with Stan Kenton (1944-1945), Jimmy Dorsey (1945), and Benny Goodman (1945-1946). Getz, who had his recording debut as a leader in July 1946 with four titles, became famous during his period with Woody Herman’s Second Herd (1947-1949), soloing (along with Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward, and Serge Chaloff) on the original version of “Four Brothers” and having his sound well-featured on the ballad “Early Autumn.” After leaving Herman, Getz was (with the exception of some tours with Jazz at the Philharmonic) a leader for the rest of his life.
All That Philly Jazz 