People Time, Stan Getz and Kenny Barron, Verve, 314 510 823-2

 

Zaire's review this time is of a set of wonderful duets between Stan Getz and Kenny Barron from March of 1991, a couple months or so before Getz died of cancer recorded at the Cafe Montmartre in Copenhagen . This recording is surely on anyone's list of best jazz CDs, and you should bring it to any dessert island to which you get exciled. In truth, it inexplicably missed Ben Ratliff's list of the best 100, but we can excuse this excellent jazz critic for this uncharacteristic lapse. It did make his list of the next 100. People Time was, in fact, Getz' last recording. And I would say his best. Even the liner notes are uncharacteristically exemplary, or at least Barron's little essay is.

Getz' playing is remarkably vigorous, although at this point of course, he wasn't. He does sometimes run out of breath at the end of complex phrases, but his tone is strong and thicker than usual, and his solos are full of uncharacteristic squawks, honks, and bleats. He uses much of the range of the instrument, and the early Getz surely does not. Compare the beginning to the end - the Roost "Long Island" recordings sound thin and a tad effete to me now. The Lester-influenced Getz of those days grew immensely over the years, surviving addiction and, for a while, cancer to make this final statement. He has a lot to say, little time in which to do it, and this recording gets it down.

Much credit must go to Barron. He is in his prime on this record (still is) and his solos range from good to the "no note could possibly be changed" level. His solos are jaggedly two-handed, heavily bop-influenced, and always full of ideas. Barron is strong enough to hold up in the duo setting, and polite/sensitive enough not to compete or take over. These really are duets, and great ones at that.

The song selection is wonderful. There are two Benny Golson tunes on the first disk, and Charlie Haden and Mal Waldron on the second. What more can be said by playing "Surrey" yet another time? I'm tired of the song. Even Barron in the first new Sphere CD plays it in an unexciting way. But here? It's wonderful - you can see why the musicians play it all the time - it's not just a piece of fluff and it's not all played out after all. And "Night and Day?" Good grief - well, just listen to Barron's solo and the interplay between Getz and Barron at the end on this one. Plenty left.

I suggest that you play CD 2 first. It begins with Charlie Haden's "First Song," a gorgeous ballad that one hears more and more these days, and ends with another beautiful slow tune, Mal Waldron's "Soul Eyes." Getz and Barron play "First Song" better than anyone ever has, I think. But one warning - if you're feeling sad, watch out because this one can be almost unbearable.

yours,

A, G. Zaire