Stan Getz

Object Details

Artist

Herman Leonard, 1923 - 2010

Sitter

Charles Thomas Potter, 21 Sep 1918 - Mar 1988

Stan Getz, 2 Feb 1927 - 6 Jun 1991

Allan Warren Haig, 22 Jul 1924 - 16 Nov 1982

Exhibition Label

A leading exponent and popularizer of cool jazz in the 1950s, tenor saxophonist Stan Getz (center) initially played with some of the swing era’s top bands, including those led by Jack Teagarden, Stan Kenton, and Benny Goodman. Getz began distancing himself from swing in the late 1940s, developing a saxophone quartet within Woody Herman’s Second Herd band that gave the larger ensemble its distinctive sound. After his solos on “Early Autumn” (1948) gained him a national following, Getz created his own group in 1949, borrowing members of Charlie Parker’s rhythm section such as double bassist Tommy Potter (left) and pianist Al Haig (right) when they were not working with Parker. A superbly melodic soloist, Getz embraced an “artfully relaxed” performance style that epitomized cool jazz. When enthusiasm for that genre waned in the 1960s, he reenergized his career by initiating a fusion of American jazz and Brazilian bossa nova.

Uno de los principales exponentes y promotores del cool jazz en la década de 1950 fue el saxofonista tenor Stan Getz (centro). En sus comienzos tocó con importantes bandas de la era del swing, entre ellas las de Jack Teagarden, Stan Kenton y Benny Goodman. No obstante, para fines de la década de 1940 empezó a distanciarse del swing y desarrolló un cuarteto de saxofones dentro de la banda Second Herd, de Woody Herman, que dio a esta su sonido distintivo. Cuando sus solos en “Early Autumn” (1948) le ganaron una fanaticada a nivel nacional, Getz fundó su propio grupo (1949) con músicos de la sección rítmica de Charlie Parker, como el contrabajista Tommy Potter (izquierda) y el pianista Al Haig (derecha), actuando cuando no tenían shows con Parker. Dotado de un magnífico sentido melódico, Getz adoptó un estilo “refinadamente relajado” que era el epítome del cool jazz. Cuando el entusiasmo por este género se debilitó, hacia los años sesenta, Getz revitalizó su carrera inaugurando la fusión del jazz americano con la bossa nova brasileña.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

1949 (printed 1998)

Object number

NPG.2014.111.11

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© Herman Leonard Photography LLC

Type

Photograph

Medium

Selenium-toned gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image: 37.6 × 30.4cm (14 13/16 × 11 15/16")

Sheet: 50.4 × 40.6cm (19 13/16 × 16")

Frame: 71.8 × 56.5 × 3.8 cm (28 1/4 × 22 1/4 × 1 1/2")

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Interior

Music\Musical instrument\Piano

Equipment\Sound Devices\Microphone

Music\Musical instrument\Saxophone

Music\Musical instrument\Bass

Stan Getz: Male

Stan Getz: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Composer

Stan Getz: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Horn\Saxophonist

Stan Getz: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Jazz

Allan Warren Haig: Male

Allan Warren Haig: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Pianist

Charles Thomas Potter: Male

Charles Thomas Potter: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Bass

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.2014.111.11

Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm47b917df0-4c5e-48f0-97d1-3676a93f9f93