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.
Of Thee I Sing
Stan Getz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From north to south, from east to west
You are the love, I love the best
You`re the dreamboat in the sweetest story ever told
A dream I sought, both night and day
For years through all, the U.S.A.
The star I hitched my wagon to
Of thee I sing, baby
Summer, autumn, winter, spring, baby.
You`re my silver lining,
You`re my sky of blue
There`s a lovelight shining
Just because of you.
Of thee I sing, baby,
You have got that certain thing, baby
Shining star and inspiration
Worthy of a mighty nation,
Of thee I sing.
Of thee I sing, baby,
You have got that certain thing, baby
Shining star and inspiration
Worthy of a mighty nation,
Of thee I sing.
The lyrics of Stan Getz's song "Of Thee I Sing" express a deep love and admiration for the United States of America. The song compares the beauty of the country from the island of Manhattan to the California coast and proclaims that out of all the places in the US, the person being sung to is the love the singer cherishes most. The person is described as a "dreamboat in the sweetest story ever told," and the singer states a dedication to this person through all seasons, exemplified in the lyrics, "Summer, autumn, winter, spring, baby."
The song's passion for this character is further explored, as the singer expresses that this person was a dream sought out throughout their travels across the US, and that the person is the "shining star and inspiration" worthy of a mighty nation. The final repetition of the chorus solidifies the singer's devotion, stating, "You have got that certain thing, baby. Shining star and inspiration. Of thee I sing." The song, through its utilization of metaphors, proclaims an unwavering love for the United States and the person being sung to.
Line by Line Meaning
From the island of Manhattan to the coast of gold
I acknowledge the vast expanse of the United States, stretching from the east coast in New York City to the west coast in California, and all the cities and towns that lie in between.
From north to south, from east to west
I love you from every possible direction, covering the entire geographic area of our country.
You are the love, I love the best
Out of all the people, places and things I have experienced in my life, you are the one I cherish the most.
You`re the dreamboat in the sweetest story ever told
You are the captivating, beautiful and perfect character that one would find in the most wonderful tale ever told.
A dream I sought, both night and day
I have spent my waking and sleeping hours thinking about you, desiring you with every fiber of my being.
For years through all, the U.S.A.
I have been searching for you in every corner of our great nation for many long years.
The star I hitched my wagon to
I have devoted my life and love to you, like how a traveler attaches their wagon to the brightest star in the sky.
Is very obviously you
It is clear to me and everyone around me that you are the one who has captured my heart and soul.
Of thee I sing, baby
I am praising and extolling your virtues, expressing my undying affection for you, my dearest.
Summer, autumn, winter, spring, baby.
My love for you is not limited to any particular time of year, it is constant and ever-present.
You`re my silver lining,
You bring light and hope to my life, even in the darkest of times.
You`re my sky of blue
You are the clear and expansive sky, providing me with peace and tranquility like a beautiful day.
There`s a lovelight shining
There is a special and radiant light emanating from you, illuminating everything around us with your love.
Just because of you.
Everything in my life is brighter, richer and more amazing, simply because I have you.
You have got that certain thing, baby
You possess a unique and marvelous quality that sets you apart from everyone else, which I find irresistibly attractive.
Shining star and inspiration
You are a brilliant beacon of light in my life, continually inspiring me to be the best version of myself.
Worthy of a mighty nation,
You are deserving of the greatest respect and admiration, like a country with a long and illustrious history.
Of thee I sing.
My heart overflows with love and devotion for you, my darling, and I will keep singing your praises forever and always.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind