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.
It Might as Well Be Spring
Stan Getz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want a lot of other things I've never had before,
It's just like my mamma says, I sit around and mourn
Pretending that I am so wonderful and knowing I'm adored
I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm,
I'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string,
I'd say that I had spring fever,
I'm as starry eyed and gravely discontented,
Like a nightingale without a song to sing.
Oh, why should I have spring fever,
When it isn't even spring?
I keep wishing I were somewhere else,
Walking down a strange new street,
Hearing words I have never never heard,
From a man I've yet to meet.
I'm as busy as a spider spinning daydreams,
I'm as giddy as a baby on a swing,
I haven't seen a crocus or a rosebud,
Or a robin or a bluebird on the wing,
But I feel so gay in a melancholy way,
That it might as well be spring,
It might as well be, might as well be,
It might as well be spring.
The lyrics to "It Might As Well Be Spring" speak to a universal feeling of restlessness and discontentment. The singer begins by reflecting on their changing interests and desires. They no longer enjoy the things they used to like and instead long for new experiences. Despite this, they continue to bask in the admiration of others and maintain a facade of self-importance. Amidst this, the singer acknowledges that they are neither content nor happy.
The chorus continues this theme of dissatisfaction, comparing the singer to a willow tree in a windstorm and a puppet on a string. They feel restless and unsettled, as though they have spring fever, but acknowledge that it is not actually spring. They continue to feel a sense of longing and unease, wishing they could be somewhere else and hear something new.
The final verse of the song is particularly poignant, as it contrasts the singer's internal turmoil with the external beauty of springtime. They haven't seen any of the typical signs of spring - flowers, birds, etc - and yet they feel an inexplicable joy that is tinged with melancholy. The singer seems to recognize that their state of mind is at odds with the world around them, but nevertheless embraces their feelings and allows themselves to revel in their own sense of disquiet.
Line by Line Meaning
The things I used to like, I don't like any more
My interests and preferences have changed, and I no longer enjoy the same things that I used to.
I want a lot of other things I've never had before
There are many new experiences and possessions that I desire and have yet to attain.
It's just like my mamma says, I sit around and mourn
My mother has pointed out that I spend too much time feeling sorry for myself and not taking action to change my circumstances.
Pretending that I am so wonderful and knowing I'm adored
Despite my insecurities, I try to present a confident and self-assured persona to others, and I am aware that many people hold me in high regard.
I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm
I feel a sense of unease and restlessness, akin to how a willow tree sways in a strong gust of wind.
I'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string
I'm nervous and apprehensive, much like a marionette being pulled by its strings.
I'd say that I had spring fever, but I know it isn't spring
Although I feel the restlessness and excitement associated with spring fever, I know that it's not actually springtime.
I'm as starry eyed and gravely discontented
I am both dreamy and deeply dissatisfied with my life at the same time.
Like a nightingale without a song to sing
I feel like I have lost my sense of purpose and direction, similar to how a bird without a song would feel lost and aimless.
Oh, why should I have spring fever, when it isn't even spring?
I am perplexed as to why I feel this restless excitement when the season doesn't call for it.
I keep wishing I were somewhere else, walking down a strange new street
I yearn for adventure and a change of scenery, hoping to find new and exciting experiences.
Hearing words I have never never heard, from a man I've yet to meet
I long for intellectual and emotional stimulation, seeking conversation and connection with someone new.
I'm as busy as a spider spinning daydreams
I am constantly lost in my own thoughts and imaginings, much like how a spider is always working on its web.
I'm as giddy as a baby on a swing
I feel a lighthearted euphoria, similar to the uninhibited joy of a child on a playground swing.
I haven't seen a crocus or a rosebud, or a robin or a bluebird on the wing
I haven't witnessed the traditional signs of spring, such as blooming flowers or migrating birds.
But I feel so gay in a melancholy way, that it might as well be spring
Although my emotions are contradictory, with both happiness and sadness present, I feel a strong affinity with the renewal and growth often associated with springtime.
It might as well be, might as well be, it might as well be spring
Despite not being literally springtime, the intensity of my emotions and desires make it feel as though I am experiencing a season of growth and change.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Tratore
Written by: Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@benwinkel
Rest in peace beautiful Astrud. The world will miss you and your beautiful voice!
@fernandoiturburu3718
That voice, that sax in the background playing...
@vibist
Gary Burton, Stan Getz, Astrud Gilberto, Joe Hunt. Great group.
@plannedresponse
this is the song for the spring we need this 2021 morning (vernal equinox) thanks for sharing
@howardnicholson1611
A great pairing - Astrud and Stan.
@doncar9
Beautiful
@joao-geraldodamasceno1581
Divino!
@royaljrh2
Marvelous
@fikusdreams
Happy Birthday Astrud!
@xBlackShadowsZz
I heard this in the radio