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.
How Long Has This Been Going On
Stan Getz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was kissed by my sisters, my cousins, and my aunties.
Sad to tell, it was hell, an inferno worse than Dante's.
So my dear I swore,
"Never, never more !"
On my list, I insisted that kissing must be crossed out.
Now, I find I was blind, and oh my!
I could cry salty tears,
Where have I been all these years?
Little wow, tell me now,
How long has this been going on?
There were chills up my spine,
And some thrills I can't define.
Listen, sweet, I repeat,
How long has this been going on?
Oh, I feel that I could melt,
Into Heaven I'm hurled!
I know how Columbus felt,
Finding another world.
Kiss me once, then once more.
What a dunce I was before.
What a break!
For Heaven's sake!
How long has this been going on?
Dear, when in your arms I creep,
That divine rendezvous,
Don't wake me, if I'm asleep,
Let me dream that it's true!
Kiss me twice, then once more.
That makes thrice, let's make it four!
What a break!
For Heaven's sake!
How long has this been going on?
How long has this, been going on?
The song "How Long Has This Been Going On?" by Stan Getz talks about a person who as a child was given kisses by their sisters, cousins, and aunties, and how they found it uncomfortable back then. As they grew older, they swore to never engage in any form of kiss. However, they later realized how much they had missed out on and how they had been blind to what they considered an intimate form of affection. The lyrics express the singer's realization of their past ignorance of the joy of kissing and their newfound admiration for it. The subsequent lyrics reminisce on the joy and passion that comes with a kiss and how it can make them feel like they are in another world.
Despite the song's title, the central theme is the discovery of the joy of intimacy and the longing for it. This song speaks to the idea that people may not always know what it is that they are missing until they have experienced it, possibly explaining why the singer has only recently embraced kissing. Through the song, the singer's passion for intimacy is tangible and intensifying, as they implore their partner to kiss them more, repeatedly asking how long they have been waiting for this. The tone is dreamy and romantic, with the lyrics full of metaphors and imagery that further enhance the song's ethereal quality.
Line by Line Meaning
As a tot, when I trotted in little velvet panties,
When I was a child wearing velvet pants, my family members would kiss me.
I was kissed by my sisters, my cousins, and my aunties.
My sisters, cousins, and aunties would kiss me on the cheeks when I was a baby.
Sad to tell, it was hell, an inferno worse than Dante's.
Unfortunately, I didn't like it, and it was unbearable for me.
So my dear I swore, "Never, never more !"
So, I made a promise to myself, saying that I would never allow it again.
On my list, I insisted that kissing must be crossed out.
I wrote down the rule that kissing should not be allowed.
Now, I find I was blind, and oh my!
Looking back, I realize that my decision to ban kissing was foolish.
How I lost out!
I missed out on something great because of my decision.
I could cry salty tears,
I feel emotional about the lost opportunity.
Where have I been all these years?
I wonder why I didn't realize this earlier.
Little wow, tell me now,
I'm amazed and want more information about this new discovery.
How long has this been going on?
I want to know the length of time that this opportunity has existed.
There were chills up my spine,
I felt a sudden sensation of excitement and pleasure.
And some thrills I can't define.
It's hard to describe the feelings that I'm experiencing.
Listen, sweet, I repeat,
I want to share this exciting news with my lover.
How long has this been going on?
I want to know the length of time that this opportunity has existed.
Oh, I feel that I could melt,
I'm feeling overwhelmed by the excitement and pleasure of this experience.
Into Heaven I'm hurled!
It feels like I've been transported to paradise.
I know how Columbus felt,
I feel like Columbus discovering a new world.
Finding another world.
I've discovered a whole new world of pleasure.
Kiss me once, then once more.
I want my lover to kiss me again and again.
What a dunce I was before.
I now realize how silly my decision to ban kissing was.
What a break!
This is a great opportunity and I'm lucky to have discovered it.
For Heaven's sake!
This is amazing, I can't believe it!
How long has this been going on?
I want to know the length of time that this opportunity has existed.
Dear, when in your arms I creep,
When I'm close to my lover,
That divine rendezvous,
That heavenly encounter,
Don't wake me, if I'm asleep,
Please don't disturb me, even if I'm dreaming about it.
Let me dream that it's true!
I want to continue dreaming even if it's not real.
Kiss me twice, then once more.
I want my lover to keep kissing me.
That makes thrice, let's make it four!
I want more kisses, and I don't want it to stop.
What a break!
This is a great opportunity to experience pleasure.
For Heaven's sake!
This is amazing, I can't believe it!
How long has this been going on?
I want to know the length of time that this opportunity has existed.
How long has this, been going on?
I want to know the length of time that this opportunity has existed.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind