Jazz Archives

One of Stan Getz's all-time greatest albums, Sweet Rain was his first major artistic coup after he closed the book on his bossa nova period, featuring an adventurous young group that pushed him to new heights in his solo statements. Pianist Chick Corea, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Grady Tate were all schooled in '60s concepts of rhythm-section freedom, and their continually stimulating interplay helps open things up for Getz to embark on some long, soulful explorations (four of the five tracks are over seven minutes). The neat trick of Sweet Rain is that the advanced rhythm section work remains balanced with Getz's customary loveliness and lyricism. Indeed, Getz plays with a searching, aching passion throughout the date, which undoubtedly helped Mike Gibbs' title track become a standard after Getz's tender treatment here. Technical perfectionists will hear a few squeaks on the LP's second half (Getz's drug problems were reputedly affecting his articulation somewhat), but Getz was such a master of mood, tone, and pacing that his ideas and emotions are communicated far too clearly to nit-pick. Corea's spare, understated work leaves plenty of room for Getz's lines and the busily shifting rhythms of the bass and drums, heard to best effect in Corea's challenging opener "Litha." Aside from that and the title track, the repertoire features another Corea original ("Windows"), the typically lovely Jobim tune "O Grande Amor," and Dizzy Gillespie's Latin-flavored "Con Alma." The quartet's level of musicianship remains high on every selection, and the marvelously consistent atmosphere the album evokes places it among Getz's very best. A surefire classic.

1. Litha (9:00)

2. O Grande Amor (4:43)

3. Sweet Rain (7:08)

4. Con Alma (8:00)

5. Windows (8:52)

Bass - Ron Carter

Drums - Grady Tate

Engineer - Rudy Van Gelder

Piano - Chick Corea

Producer - Creed Taylor

Saxophone [Tenor] - Stan Getz

Recorded March 30, 1967 at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Engelwood Cliffs, New Jersey.

This is one of the most unusual and in its own way, experimental albums that Stan pulled off in his long career. Giving Eddie Sauter complete freedom to write a series of tone poems in which he left Stan lots of room to create and improvise on the fly is a stroke fo genius by itself, Stan had NO written parts for himself whatsoever, just his wits, emotions, technique, life experiences and perceptions. Needless to say he navigated these deep waters with extreme intelligence, wit and sensitivity.
The moods run from manic and darn near cartoon like with "I'm Late, I'm Late" (kicked along by a great rhythm section of drummer Roy Haynes and bassist John Neves) to beautiful and contemplative ("Her", Once Upon a Time") to tense and spooky ("Night Rider") and overwhelmingly passionate ("Pan") plus more. The small string orchestra was a stroke of genius by itself and how if fits perfectly with Stan's sound and musicality.
This ain't no Bossa-Nova or straight-ahead swing, it's an entirely different animal altogether, one that if given the chance will grow on you and hold you spellbound, it sure did me.

Reissue, 1984. Originally released in 1961.
Recorded at Webster Hall, New York City, July 14, 28, and September / October, 1961.