After great successes with bossa nova jazz and a flirtation with fusion, saxophonist Stan Getz increasingly returned to his unique style towards the end of his life, which was a cross between cool jazz and hard bop. This was also the case in 1987, four years before his death, when he gave some fantastic performances in the jazz club Montmartre in Copenhagen. Along with pianist Kenny Barron, bassist
… Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis, Getz played as if his life depended on it. Recordings of these concerts have already appeared on the acclaimed CDs Serenity and Anniversary. More than twenty years later, it appears that there are also TV recordings of it. Unfortunately, they don't add much. Getz himself seems almost impassive to forge one line of genius on another. The only bright spot is bassist Reid's fluorescent yellow jersey. For good sound quality it is better to put on one of the aforementioned CDs; if you want images of the almost proverbial dark and smoky jazz club, you can watch this DVD. (HB)more
