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.
Penthouse Serenade
Stan Getz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With hinges on chimneys for stars to go by
A sweet slice of Heaven for just you and I
When we're alone.
From all of society we'll stay aloof
And live in propriety there on the roof.
Two heavenly hermits we will be in truth
We'll see life's mad pattern
As we view old Manhattan
Then we can thank our lucky stars
That we're living as we are.
In our little penthouse we'll always contrive
To keep love and romance forever alive
In view of the Hudson just over the drive,
When we're alone.
We can thank our lucky stars
That we're living as we are.
In our little penthouse we'll always contrive
To keep love and romance forever alive
In view of the Hudson just over the drive,
When we're alone.
The song "Penthouse Serenade" is a beautiful love song written by unsigned songwriters, Will Jason and Val Burton. The lyrics focus on painting a beautiful image of living in a penthouse, far away from society and the hustle and bustle of New York City. The song is written in the form of a duet and is usually performed with a saxophone solo. The song immerses the listener in the penthouse with the lines "Just picture a penthouse way up in the sky, With hinges on chimneys for stars to go by, A sweet slice of Heaven for just you and I, When we're alone." depicting a serene and peaceful atmosphere. The imagery of the penthouse and the contrast to the busy city below help in creating an illusion of exclusivity.
The song proclaims that the characters in the song, for whom the penthouse is their abode, are living in a world of their own. They will stay aloof from society and all its troubles, creating a perfect little world for themselves. The lyrics create a world of contrast between the hustle of New York and the peace of the penthouse. The penthouse is called a sweet slice of heaven and is placed so high up in the sky that the stars pass by. The song concludes with the line “In view of the Hudson just over the drive, when we're alone,” signifying the beauty of the place and how it is even more precious when shared with a loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
Just picture a penthouse way up in the sky
Imagine a luxurious apartment high above the ground.
With hinges on chimneys for stars to go by
There are little decorations on the chimney, with stars that move when it's windy.
A sweet slice of Heaven for just you and I
It's a heavenly place just for the two of us.
When we're alone.
This is our special place to be together when we're alone.
From all of society we'll stay aloof
We'll stay away from society, keeping our distance and privacy.
And live in propriety there on the roof.
We'll live properly and dignified on the roof.
Two heavenly hermits we will be in truth
We'll be like two hermits, away from the world, living in heaven.
When we're alone.
This is our special place to be together when we're alone.
We'll see life's mad pattern
We'll observe and understand the chaotic nature of life.
As we view old Manhattan
We'll see the view of Manhattan from our rooftop.
Then we can thank our lucky stars
We can appreciate how fortunate we are to be living in this place.
That we're living as we are.
We're grateful for the lifestyle and the opportunity to be alone together.
In our little penthouse we'll always contrive
We'll always find ways to create and maintain our love and romance in this small space.
To keep love and romance forever alive
We'll work hard to keep our love and affection for each other always alive and strong.
In view of the Hudson just over the drive,
We'll have a beautiful view of the Hudson River just beyond our front yard.
When we're alone.
This is our special place to be together when we're alone.
We can thank our lucky stars
We can appreciate how fortunate we are to be living in this place.
That we're living as we are.
We're grateful for the lifestyle and the opportunity to be alone together.
In our little penthouse we'll always contrive
We'll always find ways to create and maintain our love and romance in this small space.
To keep love and romance forever alive
We'll work hard to keep our love and affection for each other always alive and strong.
In view of the Hudson just over the drive,
We'll have a beautiful view of the Hudson River just beyond our front yard.
When we're alone.
This is our special place to be together when we're alone.
Lyrics © CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: VAL BURTON, WILL JASON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind