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.
You're Blasé
Stan Getz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've no, enthusiasm
You're tired and uninspired
You're blase
Your day is one of leisure
In which you search for pleasure
You're bored when you're adored
While reaching for the moon
And the stars up in the sky
The simple things of normal life
Are slowly passing by
You sleep, the sun is shining
You wake, its time for dining
There's nothing new for you to do
You're blase
While reaching for the moon
And the stars up in the sky
The simple things of normal life
Are slowly passing by
You sleep, the sun is shining
You wake, its time for dining
There's nothing new for you to do
You're blase
Blase
is a French word that means indifferent or bored, and that is the exact sentiment that Stan Getz's song describes. The lyrics employ a smooth and seductive tone to create an atmosphere of apathy and detachment from life's pleasures. The first verse states that the subject is deeply indifferent, lacking enthusiasm or inspiration. The word "chasm" is used to describe the depth of the subject's detachment from life's pleasures, making it difficult for anything to penetrate their consciousness. The second verse tells us that the subject leads a life of leisure where they only seek pleasure. They are bored by the attention they receive, which is not fulfilling their desire for excitement. The lyrics are repeated in the third and fourth verse, emphasizing the monotony of their lives.
The bridge shifts attention to the fact that the subject is so absorbed by the desire to reach for the stars and the moon that they are unable to appreciate the beauty of the simple things in life that pass them by. The use of this imagery emphasizes the futility of their pursuits and the lack of fulfillment in their lives. The final verse repeats the earlier sentiments, letting us know that the subject is entirely immersed in their boredom that even the rising and setting of the sun has become insignificant.
Overall, the song captures the essence of someone who feels detached from the pleasures of life, and their constant pursuit of something that eludes them is taking a toll on them.
Line by Line Meaning
You're deep just like a chasm
You have a profound emptiness and lack of feeling akin to a gaping hole.
You've no, enthusiasm
You lack any real passion or excitement about anything.
You're tired and uninspired
You feel drained of energy and motivation, and unable to come up with any new ideas or inspiration.
You're blase
You are indifferent or uninterested in everything, and nothing can really excite you or hold your attention.
Your day is one of leisure
Your days are filled with plenty of free time and not many obligations.
In which you search for pleasure
You spend your leisure time looking for ways to feel good or entertained.
You're bored when you're adored
Even when you receive attention or admiration from others, you still feel bored and unimpressed.
You're blase
You remain aloof and uninterested, even when new experiences or opportunities arise.
While reaching for the moon
You have high aspirations and lofty goals that often feel unattainable or out of reach.
And the stars up in the sky
Your desires and dreams extend far beyond what you can see or grasp in your daily life.
The simple things of normal life
The basic, everyday experiences that many people enjoy and take pleasure in.
Are slowly passing by
You feel disconnected from the present and the world around you, missing out on the small joys that others find in everyday moments.
You sleep, the sun is shining
You miss out on the beauty and goodness in the world, even when it is right in front of you.
You wake, its time for dining
Your life follows a predictable routine, with little variation or excitement.
There's nothing new for you to do
You feel stuck in a repetitive, unfulfilling cycle that fails to bring any novelty or excitement.
You're blase
Your indifference and disinterest taints everything in your life, causing you to feel empty and unfulfilled despite any external accomplishments or pleasures.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind