Stan Getz Plays Bacharach and David

The songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David were hugely popular in the 1960s, so much so that even leading jazz artists like Stan Getz wanted on the bandwagon.

In his case, the result was this 1967 LP. Accompanying the tenor saxophonist on most tracks was a large ensemble led by Richard Evans.

This post is a follow-up to the 1966 crossover LP by trumpeter Chet Baker, which recently appeared here.

Stan Getz

Getz (1927-1991) was one of the best known and most popular jazz artists of the day. He came up through the big bands, first reaching the limelight in Woody Herman's Second Herd in the late 1940s. He soon embarked on a solo career.

In the 1960s, the tenor became interested in crossover material. His superb bossa nova LP Getz/Gilberto, with João and Astrud Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim, was one of the catalysts for that genre's huge popularity in 1964 and thereafter.

In 1966, Getz recorded Voices, a pop-oriented LP with arrangements for jazz ensemble and choir by Claus Ogerman. Getz recorded his solos separately from the backing tracks, which supposedly had been recorded for a projected LP by guitarist Wes Montgomery, who had left for another label in the interim.

One of the songs from that session was Bacharach/David's "The Look of Love." It had been written for the James Bond parody film Casino Royale, which came out in April 1967 and featured Dusty Springfield's hit vocal of the song.

"The Look of Love" did not make it onto the Voices album, but it was inserted into the What the World Needs Now LP, which is otherwise scored by Evans.

Richard Evans

Richard Evans (1932-2014) was a Chicago-based arranger/producer who worked primarily for Cadet Records, where he backed such artists as Ramsey Lewis and Dorothy Ashby. His own ensemble was the Soulful Strings, which performed his arrangements of pop tunes on LPs that were released beginning in 1966.

The songs chosen for the Getz LP are very well-known for the most part. One of the few exceptions is "Any Old Time of Day," which appeared on Dionne Warwick's LP Anyone Who Had a Heart and was also the B-side of her huge hit "Walk on By." Another lesser-known song is "In Times Like These," first released in late 1959 by Gene McDaniels.

The critical reaction to Getz's Bacharach interpretations, as you might expect, has been at best lukewarm. They like Getz's playing but pan Evans' arrangements as being too syrupy. (Jazz critics tend to recoil when exposed to pop music.) 

To me, Getz sounds distanced from the project, which is at least in part a side-effect of how it was recorded. He seems to skate along on top of the music. Getz's tenor was far too loud as recorded, which I have adjusted in this mix, which hopefully helps integrate him more into the band.

My own view is that, when taken on its own merits, this is a lovely record, with good sound.

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