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 systemβs 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, JoΓ£o 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 SilfverskiΓΆld on 3 November 1956 and had two children with her: Pamela and Nicolas. In 1957 Swedish girlfriend Inga TorgnΓ©r 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.
There's A Lull In My Life
Stan Getz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's just a void and empty space
When you are not in my embrace
Oh, there's a lull In my life
The moment that you go away
There is no night, there is no day
The clock stops ticking
The world stops turning
That keeps burning, burning
Oh, oh, oh
There's a lull In my life
No matter how I may pretend
I know that you alone can end
the ache in my heart, the call of my heart
Alone until you come back to me
That's all I wait for patiently
What else can I do, what else can I say?
Except that I pray for you night and day
In these lyrics, the singer expresses the feeling of emptiness and longing for their loved one when they are not present. The use of the word "lull" evokes a sense of calmness or stillness, which contrasts with the singer's emotional turmoil. The void and empty space without their loved one's embrace is a metaphorical representation of the singer's sense of incompleteness. The singer also mentions that when their loved one is gone, time seems to stop and the world seems to halt, highlighting the importance of their loved one's presence in their life. The flame in the singer's heart symbolizes their love, which continues to burn even when everything else has stopped.
The lyrics also suggest that no matter how hard the singer tries to distract themselves or pretend that they are okay without their loved one, they cannot escape their feelings of longing and the ache in their heart. The singer prays for their loved one day and night, emphasizing their deep devotion and commitment to the relationship.
Overall, the lyrics of "There's A Lull In My Life" convey a sense of vulnerability, passion, and devotion, highlighting the powerful impact that love can have on a person's emotions and life.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, there's a lull in my life
The absence of you creates a quiet and unfulfilling space in my life.
It's just a void and empty space
My life feels like a meaningless void without you.
When you are not in my embrace
I only feel complete and fulfilled when I am holding you.
Oh, there's a lull In my life
The absence of you creates a quiet and unfulfilling space in my life.
The moment that you go away
As soon as you leave, my life seems to come to a standstill.
There is no night, there is no day
Time and the passing of days loses meaning to me without you.
The clock stops ticking
The clock and the passing of time seem to lose all significance without you.
The world stops turning
The world seems to come to a halt without your presence.
Everything stops but the flame in my heart
Despite everything else stopping, the intensity of my love for you remains constant.
That keeps burning, burning
My love for you will persist no matter what.
Oh, oh, oh
An expression of sadness and longing for you.
There's a lull In my life
The absence of you creates a quiet and unfulfilling space in my life.
No matter how I may pretend
No matter how much I try to convince myself otherwise.
I know that you alone can end
Only you have the power to make my life complete and fulfilling.
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, ANTHEM ENTERTAINMENT LP, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY REVEL, MACK GORDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@petereley4941
I bought this album for my girlfriend in 1958...she loved this song...and, as my darling wife, still does !
@sylviacarlson3561
Peter Eley - You and your bride have good taste!
@petereley4941
@Sylvia Carlson Hi Sylvia, thank you! Sounds like you like this album too.
@ruthdixon7807
this gorgeous harry revel song suited ella's sweetly sad ballad style perfectly and makes for one of her most devine performances.
@desmondmallette5982
Just discovered this wonderful song
@michellecalling
I thought I was over Ella; and all of a sudden she's back to blow me clean away.
@BERTRAMCAT
michellecalling Ella will always rescue us !
@PalJoey-rm2yh
This album, along with the Rodgers & Hart, Harold Arlen, and Johnny Mercer Songbooks, are the nee plus ultra of Ella's career.
@wernermatrisch2
This album is the climax of subtle singing! Stan Getz increases the intimate atmosphere! It's a shame that he wasn't there at Ella's following album HELLO LOVE.
@beckynov7
I'd never heard this before. It's beautiful. She has the best voice and style.