Focus (jazz album)
Encyclopedia
Focus is a jazz
album recorded in 1961
, featuring Stan Getz
on tenor saxophone
with a string orchestra. The album is a suite which was originally commissioned by Getz from composer and arranger Eddie Sauter
. Widely regarded as a high point for both men's careers, Focus was described by Getz as his favorite of all his recordings.
The theme of the opening track, "I'm Late, I'm Late", is nearly identical to the opening minutes of the second movement of Béla Bartók
's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
. Bartók had been an early supporter of Sauter, who intended the track as an homage. "I'm Late, I'm Late" also features drummer Roy Haynes
, the album's only soloist beside Getz.
The Penguin Guide to Jazz
selected this album as part of its suggested "Core Collection" stating "Nobody ever arranged for Getz as well as this, and Sauter's luminous and shimmering scores continue to bewitch". Similarly, critic Stephen Cook describes Focus as "admittedly Getz's most challenging date and arguably his finest moment".
Total time -- 37:54
A 1997 reissue on CD contained the following additional tracks:
Also possibly:
1, string parts of 2, 3: 14 probably at Webster Hall NYC
at least orchestra parts 4-6, 9 and probably 7: 28 WH NC
Getz on 2-7,9 sept oct unknown location
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
album recorded in 1961
1961 in jazz
-Events:*Bengali Indian sitar player and composer Ravi Shankar and western jazz musicians Gary Peacock and Bud Shank collaborate on the album Improvisations. The album combines the use of sitar and jazz music and is considered an early example of fusion experiments with jazz and Indian classical...
, featuring Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
on tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
with a string orchestra. The album is a suite which was originally commissioned by Getz from composer and arranger Eddie Sauter
Eddie Sauter
Edward Ernest Sauter was a composer and jazz arranger who achieved renown among musicians during the swing era.-Biography:...
. Widely regarded as a high point for both men's careers, Focus was described by Getz as his favorite of all his recordings.
Description
As noted in the booklet for the 1997 CD reissue, Sauter's orchestration did not include melodies for Getz. Rather, Sauter left spaces in the arrangements in which Getz would improvise. Documentation for the recording dates is incomplete, but the CD booklet reports that those involved in the original sessions recall that Getz recorded live with the strings on about half the songs, while he overdubbed sax solos on the others.The theme of the opening track, "I'm Late, I'm Late", is nearly identical to the opening minutes of the second movement of Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz. 106, BB 114 is one of the best-known compositions by the Hungarian composer Béla Bartók. Commissioned by Paul Sacher to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the score is dated September 7, 1936...
. Bartók had been an early supporter of Sauter, who intended the track as an homage. "I'm Late, I'm Late" also features drummer Roy Haynes
Roy Haynes
Roy Owen Haynes is an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Haynes is among the most recorded drummers in jazz, and in a career lasting more than 60 years has played in a wide range of styles ranging from swing and bebop to jazz fusion and avant-garde jazz...
, the album's only soloist beside Getz.
The Penguin Guide to Jazz
The Penguin Guide to Jazz
The Penguin Guide to Jazz is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which are currently available in Europe or the United States...
selected this album as part of its suggested "Core Collection" stating "Nobody ever arranged for Getz as well as this, and Sauter's luminous and shimmering scores continue to bewitch". Similarly, critic Stephen Cook describes Focus as "admittedly Getz's most challenging date and arguably his finest moment".
Track listing
- "I'm Late, I'm Late" – 8:08
- "Her" – 6:11
- "Pan" – 3:55
- "I Remember When" – 5:01
- "Night Rider" – 3:55
- "Once Upon a Time" – 4:46
- "A Summer Afternoon" – 5:58
Total time -- 37:54
A 1997 reissue on CD contained the following additional tracks:
- I'm Late, I'm Late (45 rpm issue) – 2:28
- I Remember When (45 rpm issue) – 2:58
Personnel
- Stan GetzStan GetzStanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
: tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble... - Alan Martin: violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Gerald Tarack: violin
- Norman CarrNorman CarrNorman Joseph Carr, MBE was a United Kingdom British conservationist working in Central and Southern Africa. He was influential in setting up National Parks in Malawi , Zambia and Zimbabwe in the 1950s and 1960s...
: violin - Jacob Glick: violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Bruce Rogers: celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Roy HaynesRoy HaynesRoy Owen Haynes is an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Haynes is among the most recorded drummers in jazz, and in a career lasting more than 60 years has played in a wide range of styles ranging from swing and bebop to jazz fusion and avant-garde jazz...
: drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Eddie SauterEddie SauterEdward Ernest Sauter was a composer and jazz arranger who achieved renown among musicians during the swing era.-Biography:...
: arrangements - Hershy KayHershy KayHershy Kay was an American composer, arranger, and orchestrator. He is most noteworthy for the orchestrations of several Broadway shows, and for the ballets he arranged for George Balanchine's New York City Ballet....
: conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
Also possibly:
- John Neves: bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
1, string parts of 2, 3: 14 probably at Webster Hall NYC
at least orchestra parts 4-6, 9 and probably 7: 28 WH NC
Getz on 2-7,9 sept oct unknown location