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.
Strike Up the Band
Stan Getz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let the trumpet call
While the people shout, "strike up the band"
Hear the cymbals ring
Calling one and all
To the martial swing, strike up the band
Let's have fun, fun, fun
You son of a gun of a gun, take your stand
Form a line, oh, oh
Come on, let's go
Hey, leader, strike up the band!
There is work to be done, to be done
Let's have fun, fun, fun
Come on, son of a gun of a gun, take your stand
Form a line, oh, oh
Come on, let's go
Hey, Mr. Leader,
Hey, Mr. Leader,
Please strike up the band!
The lyrics to Stan Getz's song "Strike Up the Band" are an invitation to celebrate, dance and have fun. The song begins by calling on the drums and trumpet to make music, while the people cheer and ask for the band to start playing. The cymbals ring out and call everyone to join the party with the martial swing of the band.
There is an urgency in the song, indicated by the repetition of the phrase, "There is work to be done, to be done, let's have fun, fun, fun." This emphasis suggests that while there may be work and responsibilities to attend to, it's also important to take time out to enjoy life and let loose.
The chorus is an invitation to stand up and form a line to join in the fun. The energetic "son of a gun of a gun" exclamation calls on the listener to take a stand and participate. The repetition of the final line, "Hey, Mr. Leader, please strike up the band!" reinforces the sense of anticipation, giving the impression that everyone is eagerly waiting for the band to start playing.
Line by Line Meaning
Let the drums roll out
We need a strong rhythm section to kick things off.
Let the trumpet call
Bring in the horn section to grab everyone's attention.
While the people shout, "strike up the band"
Now's the time to get the whole band going and really make some noise!
Hear the cymbals ring
We need that crisp, clear sound of the cymbals to help set the beat.
Calling one and all
Everyone needs to hear the call and get ready for the music.
To the martial swing, strike up the band
We want a military-style sound and energy to get the people moving.
There is work to be done, to be done
We have a job to do and need to focus on making great music.
Let's have fun, fun, fun
But that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves and have a good time while we do it!
You son of a gun of a gun, take your stand
We need every member of the band to step up and give it their all.
Form a line, oh, oh
Let's get organized and in formation so we're ready to make music together.
Come on, let's go
It's time to start playing and really show what we're made of.
Hey, leader, strike up the band!
But we need our leader to start us off and keep us going with a strong beat and infectious rhythm.
Hey, Mr. Leader,
A respectful and enthusiastic address to our band leader.
Hey, Mr. Leader,
Again, urging our leader to start the music and keep everyone in time and in tune.
Please strike up the band!
A polite but firm request to get things going and start making some sweet music together!
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind