O - Comments about Focus. Listened to all the YouTube tracks.
I had written comments about each track while listening the first time. Got distracted; changed the web page and lost all of it.
Found the whole thing on Spotify. Tracks in proper order here. Playing it again as I write though not going to try and recreate comments for each track. The upshot however is:
I like Stan Getz’s tone (a lot). I know his name but never knowingly listened to him. From what I read, that mellow, smooth tone is something of a trademark of his. Even when he’s getting intense (e.g., around the 3 minute mark on "Pan") it doesn’t seem to get harsh. His playing very much fits the mood of Sauter’s compositions.
I like Eddie Sauter’s music and his arrangements. "I Remember When" is gorgeous. There are other moments of real beauty throughout. In fact, the more I listen the more I like. I’ve always been a sucker for strings.
Seemed to me the pairing of jazz sax over string orchestra worked best on pieces that leaned more towards a popular music/film score sound - (cases in point: "I Remember When" and "Her") vs those that seemed more classically inspired.
The idea of Getz playing (improvising?) over a string orchestra seems a nice experiment but I can’t help wondering how this would sound if the solo instrument were played in a straighter/classical style and was something other than sax...English horn? if that were possible to do (transpose?). OR if instead of orchestra, Getz were playing in a traditional jazz quartet (piano, bass, drums, Getz).
Have to say for all my initial reservations and negativity towards string orchestra backing jazz sax...this thing is seductive. I think it’s doing something to my brain.
Haven’t gotten to the other two West Coast jazz tracks but will, though probably not tonight.
Thanks for introducing me to this.
I had written comments about each track while listening the first time. Got distracted; changed the web page and lost all of it.
Found the whole thing on Spotify. Tracks in proper order here. Playing it again as I write though not going to try and recreate comments for each track. The upshot however is:
I like Stan Getz’s tone (a lot). I know his name but never knowingly listened to him. From what I read, that mellow, smooth tone is something of a trademark of his. Even when he’s getting intense (e.g., around the 3 minute mark on "Pan") it doesn’t seem to get harsh. His playing very much fits the mood of Sauter’s compositions.
I like Eddie Sauter’s music and his arrangements. "I Remember When" is gorgeous. There are other moments of real beauty throughout. In fact, the more I listen the more I like. I’ve always been a sucker for strings.
Seemed to me the pairing of jazz sax over string orchestra worked best on pieces that leaned more towards a popular music/film score sound - (cases in point: "I Remember When" and "Her") vs those that seemed more classically inspired.
The idea of Getz playing (improvising?) over a string orchestra seems a nice experiment but I can’t help wondering how this would sound if the solo instrument were played in a straighter/classical style and was something other than sax...English horn? if that were possible to do (transpose?). OR if instead of orchestra, Getz were playing in a traditional jazz quartet (piano, bass, drums, Getz).
Have to say for all my initial reservations and negativity towards string orchestra backing jazz sax...this thing is seductive. I think it’s doing something to my brain.
Haven’t gotten to the other two West Coast jazz tracks but will, though probably not tonight.
Thanks for introducing me to this.