Award Winner
reunites
Stan Getz
with his mid-'50s right-hand men pianist
Lou Levy
and bassist
Leroy Vinnegar
, plus drummer
Stan Levey
, who sat in with the trio on 1956's
The Steamer
. Not surprisingly, it's quite similar to that effort, as the quartet keeps thing alternately cool, swinging ballads, and simmering, low-key grooves. It's the sound that made
Getz
' reputation and brought him popularity, a fact alluded to in the set's title. In retrospect, that can make
seem like standard-issue
, since it is straight-up
Stan
, with no surprises. Still, that's a very good thing, since few other tenor saxophonists had such a deft touch with laid-back, sensual cool jazz. Each cut on the six-track album feels sensual, even when the tempo is fleet on the side-closers
"Smiles"
and
"This Can't Be Love."
Everyone involved sounds as if they're enjoying themselves, and that results in a solid record that may have a few outstanding moments here and there -- a nice turn of phrase by
, a good solo from
Levy
, supple support from
Vinnegar
Levey
-- but is more distinguished by its overall strength and consistency of mood. Not necessarily a knockout, then, but certainly a record any true
fan would want in their collection. [
was released as a
Verve
Master Edition
in 2000, containing nine bonus tracks, including four false starts and a track's worth of inserts. The real treat are the non-LP cuts from the same session,
"All God's Chillun Got Rhythm"
"But Beautiful,"
which live up to the standard of the original LP, plus alternate takes of
"Woody N You"
"Time after Time."
All of this music is also available on the three-disc set,
East of the Sun: The West Coast Sessions
.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine