Stan Getz (Stanley Gayetzky, February 2, 1927 Philadelphia – June 6, 19… Read Full Bio ↴Stan Getz (Stanley Gayetzky, February 2, 1927 Philadelphia – June 6, 1991 Malibu, California) was an American jazz tenor saxophone player. Known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, Getz's prime influence was the wispy, mellow tone of his idol, Lester Young.

His parents were Ukrainian Jews who immigrated from Kyiv city, Ukraine in 1903. The family later moved to New York City for better jobs. Stan worked hard in school receiving straight "A's" on average and finished 6th grade close to the top of his class. Stan's major interest was in musical instruments, and he felt a need to play every instrument in his sight. He played a number of instruments before his father bought him his first saxophone at the age of 13. Even though his father also got him a clarinet, Stan instantly fell in love with the saxophone and began practicing 8 hours a day. In 1941, he was accepted into the All City High School Orchestra of New York City. This gave Stan a chance to receive a private, free tutor from the New York Philharmonic, Simon Kovar - a bassoon player. He also began to spend more time playing the saxophone. He eventually dropped out of school in order to pursue his musical career, but was later sent back to the classroom by the school system’s truancy officers.

In 1943, he was accepted into Jack Teagarden's band, and because of his youth he became Teagarden's ward. Getz also played along with Nat King Cole and Lionel Hampton. After playing for Stan Kenton, Jimmy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman, Getz was a soloist with Woody Herman from 1947 to 1949 in 'The Second Herd' and he first gained wide attention as one of the band's saxophonists, who were known collectively as 'The Four Brothers', the others being Serge Chaloff, Zoot Sims and Herbie Steward. With Herman, he had a hit with "Early Autumn" and after Getz left 'The Second Herd' he was able to launch his solo career. He would be the leader on almost all of his recording sessions after 1950.

During the early '50s, Getz broke away from the Lester Young style to form his own musical identity and he was soon among the most popular of all jazzmen. He discovered Horace Silver in 1950 and used him in his quartet for several months. After touring Sweden in 1951, he formed an exciting quintet that co-featured guitarist Jimmy Raney; their interplay on up-tempo tunes and tonal blend on ballads was quite memorable. Getz's playing helped Johnny Smith have a hit in "Moonlight in Vermont," during 1953-1954 Bob Brookmeyer made his group a quintet and, despite some drug problems during the decade, Getz was a constant poll winner. After spending 1958-1960 in Europe, the tenorman returned to the U.S. and recorded his personal favorite album, Focus, with arranger Eddie Sauter's Orchestra.

Getz became a central figure in introducing bossa nova music to the U.S. audience. Teaming with guitarist Charlie Byrd, who had just returned from a U.S. State Department tour of Brazil, Getz recorded Jazz Samba in 1962 and it became a hit. The title track was an adaptation of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "One Note Samba". Getz won the Grammy for Best Jazz Performance of 1963 for "Desafinado". As a follow-up, Getz recorded Jazz Samba Encore! with one of the originators of bossa nova, Brazilian guitarist Luiz Bonfa.

He then recorded the album Getz/Gilberto with Tom Jobim, João Gilberto and his wife, Astrud Gilberto. Their "The Girl from Ipanema" won a Grammy Award. The piece became one of the most well-known latin jazz cuts of all time. Getz/Gilberto won two Grammys (Best Album and Best Single), besting The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night, a victory for Bossa Nova and Brazilian jazz. A live album, Getz/Gilberto Vol. 2, followed, as did Getz Au Go Go, a recording made live at the Cafe Au Go Go. Unfortunately, Getz' affair with Astrud Gilberto brought an end to his musical partnership with her and her husband and he began to move away from bossa-nova and back to cool jazz. Even while still working with the Gilbertos, he recorded Nobody Else But Me an album of straightforward jazz with a new quartet including vibraphonist Gary Burton, but Verve Records, wishing to continue building the Getz brand with bossa-nova, refused to release it. It eventually came out 30 years later, after Getz had died.

In 1972, Getz recorded in the fusion idiom with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke. This group, without Getz, went on to become the famous Return to Forever, and many of the pieces including "La Fiesta" remained in their repertoire. In this period Getz experimented with an Echoplex on his saxophone, for which critics vilified him. He eventually discarded fusion and "electric jazz", returning to acoustic jazz, while at the same time gradually de-emphasizing the Bossa Nova, opting for more esoteric and less-mainstream jazz. He had a cameo in the movie The Exterminator (1980).

Towards the end of his life the now drug-free Getz had another creative peak with a group including the pianist Kenny Barron, whom Getz described as "my musical other half".

In 1986, he was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.

Getz married Beverly Byrne, a vocalist with the Gene Krupa band, on 7 November 1946; they had three children together: Steven, David, and Beverly (who married Michael McGovern).

Getz became involved with drugs and alcohol while a teenager. In 1954, he was arrested for attempting to rob a pharmacy to get a morphine fix. As he was being processed in the prison ward of Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, Beverly gave birth to their third child one floor below.

Getz tried to escape his narcotics addiction by moving to Copenhagen. He married Swedish aristocrat Monica Silfverskiöld on 3 November 1956 and had two children with her: Pamela and Nicolas. In 1957 Swedish girlfriend Inga Torgnér gave birth to a son Peter. Stan divorced Monica in 1987.

Zoot Sims, who had known Getz since their time with Herman, once described him as 'a nice bunch of guys', as a consequence of the wide behavioural range of which Getz was capable. In the final stages of his life Getz was able to end his addictions.

Getz died of liver cancer in 1991. His body was cremated and the ashes scattered at sea, off the coast of Malibu, California.

In 1998 the 'Stan Getz Media Center and Library' at the Berklee College of Music was dedicated through a donation from the Herb Alpert Foundation.

Foolish In Rush
Stan Getz Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

"Romance is a game for fools"
I used to say
A game I thought I'd never play
"Romance is a game for fools"
I said and grinned
Then you passed by
And here am I
Throwing caution to the wind

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
And so I come to you, my love, my heart above my head.
Though I see the danger there
If there's a chance for me, then I don't care

Mm-mm-mm-mm
Fools rush in where wise men never go
But wise men never fall in love, so how are they to know?
When we met, I felt my life begin
So open up your heart and let this fool rush in

Fools rush in where wise men never, never, never go
Eh, but wise men never fall in love, so how are they to know?
Ah, when we met, girl, I felt my life begin
So open up your heart and let this fool rush in

Just open up your heart and let this fool rush on in

Just open up your heart because I-I-I-I-I-I-I am coming in
Open up your heart and let this fool rush in!!

Overall Meaning

The song "Fools Rush In" by Stan Getz is a romantic ballad that talks about the game of love and how it can be played by even the smartest people. The song starts with the lyrics, "Romance is a game for fools" which the singer claims to have said in the past. It shows how the singer was someone who didn't believe in the game of love – until they met someone who changed their mind. The singer is throwing caution to the wind and trying to win their love over.

The next line, "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," is a famous quote from Alexander Pope's "An Essay on Criticism," where it cautions against taking unnecessary risks. The singer sees the danger in their pursuit of love, but they don't care about the possible consequences. They are head over heels and want to take their chances with the person they love.

The chorus repeats the phrase that "fools rush in where wise men never go," emphasizing the idea that the singer is naive but optimistic about love. The wise men never fall in love, so they will never know the thrill of being in love.

In conclusion, "Fools Rush In" is a song about the thrill and excitement of falling in love. The singer is impulsive, taking risks, and throwing caution to the wind, but they don't care because they are head over heels in love. The song has a timeless quality that speaks to everyone who has ever fallen in love.

Line by Line Meaning

Romance is a game for fools
I believed before that romance was a joke and not worth pursuing.

A game I thought I'd never play
I never imagined that I would ever fall in love.

Romance is a game for fools
I confidently declared my cynical thoughts on romance.

I said and grinned
I boasted about my avoidance of romance.

Then you passed by And here am I Throwing caution to the wind
But then I met you, and now I'm taking a risk and pursuing love despite the potential consequences.

Fools rush in where angels fear to tread And so I come to you, my love, my heart above my head.
Only foolish people take bold risks, and that's what I'm doing by confessing my love to you.

Though I see the danger there If there's a chance for me, then I don't care
I'm aware of the potential danger of falling in love, but I'm willing to take that chance.

Fools rush in where wise men never go But wise men never fall in love, so how are they to know?
Smart people don't make hasty decisions, but they also miss out on love because they overthink it.

When we met, I felt my life begin
I felt like my life began once I met you and fell in love.

So open up your heart and let this fool rush in
I'm asking you to take a chance on me and let me love you.

Just open up your heart and let this fool rush on in Just open up your heart because I-I-I-I-I-I-I am coming in Open up your heart and let this fool rush in!!
I'm begging you to open your heart and let me love you.

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHNNY MERCER, RUBE BLOOM

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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