STAN GETZ: FOCUS (SERIE VERVE VAULT)

Performer: Stan Getz, saxophone; Steve Kuhn, piano; John Neves, double bass; Roy Haynes, drums; string orchestra conducted by Hershy Kay
Composer: Stan Getz
Number of discs: 1
Barcode: 0602478261718
Label: Verve Vault
Format: LP
Genre: Jazz
Year: 2025

180-gram LP

A new release from the prestigious Verve Vault Series

Remastered from the original analog tapes

Pressed at Optimal

Recorded at Webster Hall in New York City and originally released by Verve in 1961, Focus is a unique album in Stan Getz’s discography, pairing the leader’s sublime tenor saxophone with a string orchestra conducted by Hershy Kay. A defining feature of this album is that Getz’s part was entirely improvised, adding unparalleled melodic invention and emotional depth over a pre-written foundation. The project represents a remarkable collaboration between Getz and the celebrated composer and arranger Eddie Sauter, marking a bold departure from the conventional jazz-with-strings albums of the time. Sauter’s arrangements emphasize contrapuntal writing, rhythmic complexity, and harmonic ambiguity, while Getz relies solely on traditional improvisation, weaving lines that are simultaneously lyrical and instinctive. The result is one of the most original and stylistically daring albums of Getz’s career, and his personal favorite among all his recordings.

All titles in the outstanding Verve Vault Series are remastered from the original analog tapes and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal.

Stan Getz, saxophone; Steve Kuhn, piano; John Neves, double bass; Roy Haynes, drums; string orchestra conducted by Hershy Kay

Side A
I’m Late, I’m Late
Her
Pan

Side B
I Remember When
Night Rider
Once Upon A Time
A Summer Afternoon