Search - Stan Getz & Alto Madness - Cool Summer on DVD

Be Prepared for a Letdown

Warren Weise | Lakeville, MN United States | 11/02/2002

(1 out of 5 stars)

"As a fellow saxophone player, I have always admired and appreciated the artistry of Stan Getz. I have over sixty of his CD's and two other videos of his concerts at California wineries, all very enjoyable. The bottom line on this DVD, however, is don't waste your money! It's not the playing that is problematic, it's the production of the DVD. From a video standpoint, it is grainy, out of focus and washed out. From an audio standpoint, the sound is quavery and disturbing. And one of the tunes listed doesn't even appear on the DVD. What you can hear of the playing certainly measures up to the artistic standards of Stan and Richie Cole. But they have both been done a grave injustice, however, with the technical deficiencies of this release. And as far as the adveritised "backstage interviews", you get them as promised...but they are superimposed over solos by the other members of their groups so you miss out on a lot of the music as it was originally presented. I would highly recommend that you do not purchase this item because I believe you will be very displeased with the product."

Nostalgic 80's Jazz Scene............

E. Arroyo | Hamilton, NJ | 09/07/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Interesting video of 2 jazz greats. Nice California Napa Valley surroundings is the stage for a fairly good performance by Richie and Stan. Granted sound is not studio quality, but is acceptable for an outside jazz concert. I would definetly buy it again, but at a discounted price."

Sometimes seeing is hearing

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 01/22/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I respect the unfavorable reviews preceding this one, both from fans of the musicians in question but disappointed with the quality of the reproduction. True, it appears to be a transfer from an inferior source, such as a VHS tape. But for those unfamiliar with Stan, Richie, and above all pianist Bobby Enriquez, the energy of the playing is such that the music leaps off the screen, low fidelity, fuzzy image or not. Yes, it would be preferable to curb the intrusive interviews and simply let the music speak for itself. But anyone who isn't immediately arrested by the opening tune--a way-up-tempo version of Bird's "Confirmation" by Cole and associates--has problems that go deeper than technical reproduction.

There have been some hot, animated pianists--of late, Hiromi Uehara--but I doubt anyone has come up with a piano style close to that of Bobby Enriquez, who has to be seen to be believed. The piano is essentially a percussion instrument, and no one explores that dimension of the instrument more completely than Enriquez, who plays as much with his fists, elbows, and flats of his hands as his fingers. I had no idea how he managed it, and although viewing him doesn't exactly explain it, it does reveal that his hands are far looser, his attack more relaxed than might be imagined. Had he injected himself into the free-form, free-jazz thing that has been making a comeback of late throughout the world, he no doubt would have been regarded as a revolutionary, visionary, post-avant garde genius of some sort.

It's disturbing to see Enriquez playing part of the time with a cigarette in his mouth, especially since we lost him far too early. Richie is Richie--a modern master of Bird's idiom, conscious that the music he's serving up has fallen out of favor with many of the fusion fans and electric groups about this time. Yet he unapologetically offers up standards from the '40s, such as "A Cottage for Sale," just plain good melodies. I know some musicians who seem to distrust the many notes and "over-the-top" approach of Richie and Bobby, which is unfortunate. There's plenty of room in this music for styles and voices other than the select few who happen to be one listener's favorites.

The inferior reproduction of so much--and usually the best--acoustic jazz, is as much a commentary on the marketplace as the music. The situation should have changed dramatically with the authoritative history of jazz by Ken Burns in 2000 but, sadly, that was not to be. If anything, the opposite appears to have transpired. Even where jazz is comparatively popular, the previous century's view of the music as an indigenous and distinctive African-American art form "gifted" to all has fallen out of favor. No longer is it a given that you must know about Louis, Ellington, and Bird to be a bona fide jazz fan. Or musician.

In any case, it's admittedly disappointing that, even with musicianship like that featured on this disc, not to mention the presence of two all-time greats--Stan Getz and Steve Allen--the production values come up short, especially for a film that is relatively recent (or was it a telecast, which would explain a lot). If only for the aforementioned giants, the visual and audio quality ought to have been higher. (Without benefit of the credits, it appears the pianist is Jim McNeely and the bassist Marc Johnson, who apparently had joined Getz after his remarkable tour of duty with the late Bill Evans.)"