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 Never Entered My Mind
Stan Getz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I'd be playing solitaire
Uneasy in my easy chair
It never entered my mind
And once you told me I was mistaken
That I'd awaken with the sun
And ordered orange juice for one
It never entered my mind
You had what I lack, myself
Now I even have to scratch my back myself
Once you warned me that if you scorned me
I'd say a lonely prayer again
And wish that you were there again
To get into my hair again
It never entered my mind
Once you warned me that if you scorned me
I'd say a lonely prayer again
And wish that you were there again
To get into my hair again
It never entered my mind
The lyrics of Stan Getz's song "It Never Entered My Mind" revolve around regret, missed opportunities, and unrequited love. The song's narrator recalls a past lover and their interactions, each of which revealed glimpses into the nature of their relationship, and what it lacked. The singer had dismissed the lover's warnings about loneliness and how much they depended on each other until they separated. Now, the singer is left lamenting their mistakes and realizing that they had not fully seen what was right in front of them.
The first verse describes the lover's prophecy that the singer would someday find themselves alone, despite their confidence in their own company. The second verse recalls how the ex-lover warned the singer that they would miss them once they were gone, which now seems like an unavoidable reality. The repeated lines of "It never entered my mind" reinforce the fact that the singer had been shortsighted and unaware of what was happening in their relationship.
Overall, the song paints a picture of regret and reflection, showing the singer coming to terms with their missed opportunities and unrealized potential for love. It's a poignant reminder that sometimes what we take for granted can be the very things we end up needing the most.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I laughed when I heard you saying
I used to laugh when I heard you say that I would be alone and playing cards by myself.
That I'd be playing solitaire
You suggested that I would be spending my time alone, playing a game of solitaire.
Uneasy in my easy chair
You said that I would feel uncomfortable even in my own home, sitting in my comfortable chair.
It never entered my mind
I never really considered this possibility.
And once you told me I was mistaken
One time, you told me that I was wrong about something.
That I'd awaken with the sun
You said that I would wake up early in the morning when the sun rises.
And ordered orange juice for one
You told me that I would have breakfast alone, ordering just enough for one person.
It never entered my mind
I never really considered this possibility.
You had what I lack, myself
You had something that I didn't possess.
Now I even have to scratch my back myself
Now, I even have to do things for myself that I never had to do before, like scratch my own back.
Once you warned me that if you scorned me
One time, you warned me that if you rejected or disrespected me, something would happen.
I'd say a lonely prayer again
I would end up praying by myself in a state of loneliness.
And wish that you were there again
I would wish that you were still with me, by my side.
To get into my hair again
I would even wish for the negative aspects of our relationship just to have you back in my life.
It never entered my mind
I never really considered this possibility.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LORENZ HART, RICHARD RODGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
K.B. Mars
timeless beauty... stan staying true to the melody, the lyrics almost audible, just enriching the tune at certain moments by incredibly tasty embellishments, giving us a rare glimpse into the eternal
ccalculus
Stan at his very best...love this string version...
Zaeem Malik
Thank you for uploading this masterpiece 🎉
brig
I cried while listening to this, it's so beautiful.
David Peterson
A chilly October day, rain splattering against the sills, reflecting. This tune playing in the background on an old record player, echoing throughout the aged home. A warm, grey, woolen blanket. The North Atlantic out of your window. Contentment is found...
Crona Sad
True
Ron Scott
FALover, I lumped up but held back mine. Here I am, people say I look 50 but am 70. I sit in my rocker and listen to Stan for hrs on end. I love that guy. I did cry when I heard he passed away sometime back.
humble gr
Beautiful track
Chénier Edouard
God ,Simply , deeply touching.....!
Сергей Лашко
верх совершенства!!!...без комментариев.