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.
Only Trust Your Heart
Stan Getz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
They are not a melting pot, say no, say no tapestry
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
She takes his hand and she says you'll stay
She's lost in the crowd
King
The life and times, the art and talk
Wire them up, fire them up
The life and times, the art and talk
Lovers run camp Africa, Bars in town are civilised
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
Panorama, Citylife
Youth's dance proud from the waist down
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
Shot from where the action is, a rhapsody in black and blue
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
Love lies under western eyes, powerful yet transient
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
The lyrics of "Only Trust Your Heart" by Stan Getz tell a story of a woman who puts on a film of a man named King, who is white and part of a crowd. The setting takes place by a pool of light and the language spoken is American. The repetition of "She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd" emphasizes the woman's obsession with this man, who may represent fame or success.
The lyrics later mention "Lovers run camp Africa," indicating a contrast between the luxurious lifestyle of some individuals and the poverty that still exists in other parts of the world. The line "Shot from where the action is, a rhapsody in black and blue" portrays a sense of chaos and conflict, possibly associated with the film or the events depicted in it. The theme of love is brought up with the line "Love lies under western eyes, powerful yet transient," suggesting that the woman's infatuation with King may not last.
Overall, the lyrics of "Only Trust Your Heart" seem to explore the allure of fame and success, as well as the ephemeral nature of such concepts. The mention of poverty and conflict suggests a commentary on the potential costs and consequences of a lavish lifestyle.
Line by Line Meaning
Talking by the pool of light, language from America.
Having a conversation in the brightly lit area, where the language used is from the United States.
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
She turns on a movie featuring him, King, who is white and amongst a group of people.
They are not a melting pot, say no, say no tapestry
They aren't a society where individuals of different backgrounds merge together, refuse the idea of a cohesive tapestry.
She takes his hand and she says you'll stay
She grasps his hand and assures him that he will remain present.
She's lost in the crowd
She is enveloped by the multitude of individuals in attendance.
Wire them up, fire them up
Connect them, motivate them.
The life and times, the art and talk
The experiences and events, the creative works and conversation.
Lovers run camp Africa, Bars in town are civilised
Couples find refuge in a camp in Africa, while bars in the vicinity are sophisticated.
Panorama, Citylife
A wide view of a city's lifestyle.
Youth's dance proud from the waist down
The youth move in a manner evoking confidence below the waist.
Shot from where the action is, a rhapsody in black and blue
Captured from the location where the event is occurring, a piece of music that alternates between happiness and sadness.
Love lies under western eyes, powerful yet transient
Love exists in the perception of the western culture, impactful yet temporary.
She puts on the film of him, King is white and in the crowd
She turns on a movie featuring him, King, who is white and amongst a group of people.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: BENNY CARTER, SAMMY CAHN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@truongbaonghi14
Never trust the stars
When you're about to fall in love
Look for hidden signs or you'll begin to sigh
Never trust the moon
When you're about to taste his kiss
He knows all the lies and lives up to lie
Just wait for a night
When the skies are all bare
And see
If you care
Never trust your dreams
When you're about to fall in love
Or your dreams will quickly fall apart
So if you're smart, really smart
Only trust your heart
@musicatthecenter1
Her innocent and sweet voice catapulted her to the top of jazz, , , not an easy task. Everything about her worked, a legend.
@pamstubbs4699
Rest in peace Astrid Gilberto..😔💔💕🌹🌹😞🌠🌠🌠🙏
@truongbaonghi14
Never trust the stars
When you're about to fall in love
Look for hidden signs or you'll begin to sigh
Never trust the moon
When you're about to taste his kiss
He knows all the lies and lives up to lie
Just wait for a night
When the skies are all bare
And see
If you care
Never trust your dreams
When you're about to fall in love
Or your dreams will quickly fall apart
So if you're smart, really smart
Only trust your heart
@woodruffbrian
I'm pretty sure the line is "He knows all the lies and lips so often lie."
@milessinatra
So sensual... without trying to be. That voice is angelic and hypnotic. We took time from Hendrix, Otis and Sinatra to adore this captivating beauty. That is what it was like growing up in the 60's. Bravo Astrud... pure class... Never trust your heart.... Getz with his serrealistic tones gets the mood of this song on key.
@surfgod509
Brilliant performer, pure heaven 😍
@ernestomatalsol6807
“If you are smart, really smart, only trust your heart.” ❤
@gregoryflothe4995
Thanks for sharing. I adore Astrud, a very unique and beautiful person, and one of my favorite singers from an age long passed.
@snaaptaker
Lovely. And this gorgeous tune was written by the late, great Benny Carter.
RIP, Benny. ☻
@joao-geraldodamasceno1581
Divina...