Stan Getz - Nobody Else But Me (Book) [Paperback] Review

Jazz Critic Dave Gelly has a jazzy and breezy prose style, not unlike the tenor saxophone style of the book's subject, Stan Getz. I zipped through this book, and it went down as easy as a dry martini after a hard day's work.

Getz's nickname was "The Sound" and the sound was lush, beautiful, lyrical, melodic, and swung like crazy. But Stan, "The Man" was a different story, and it is a paradox that such lovely music could come from someone so flawed. Heroin addiction at one point caused a desperate young Getz to attempt to rob a pharmacy. He later kicked heroin, but was an alcoholic wife beater. He was not the best parent. He was jealous of Chet Baker. He was an adulterous womanizer.

But then there was the music, Jack Teagarden, Stan Kenton, the Woody Herman Band, the Bossa Nova, the exciting career, the gorgeous sound . . .

Gelly tells it like it is, spinning a compelling narrative that doesn't shy away from the life behind the music, but still illuminates that music, putting it all in perspective, and making us feel the wonder of "The Sound" anew. It's all there in this book, Nobody Else But Me, shakin' like Gelly on a plate.

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Product Description:
The creator of the unforgettable "Girl from Ipanema" tenor sax tone, this son of Ukranian immigrants took his unique sound through five decades of swing, cool, bossa, and beyond. From Getz's teenage gigs with Dorsey, Goodman, and Stan Kenton, fame with Woody Herman, years as a masterful bandleader, and struggles with drugs and the law, this biography tells the bittersweet story of one of our most beloved jazz musicians. This is the first book to focus on Getz's musical legacy, exploring the lightness of touch, lyricism, and warm glow that marked his sound. It also gives insight into his skills as a consummate improviser, capable of playing with a musical, tonal, and emotional range matched by few other musicians.

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The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the Popular Music of Brazil [Paperback] Review

An excellent book for anyone who wants to explore Brazilian music beyond the well-known classics. Helps place current and past musicians in their historical contexts; helps you understand who influenced whom, etc. Thebook will pay for itself just by helping you guide your ever-growingcollection of Brazilian CD's (hard to stop once you get started)!

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Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music That Seduced the World [Paperback] Review

The title of this book makes reference to "Chega de saudade", a revolutionary song written by Tom Jobim, that was recorded for the first time in 1958. Ruy Castro shows us how the Bossa Nova started ("A história" = the story), but he also introduces the reader to the lives of the musicians who "made" the Bossa Nova ("as histórias" = the stories), for example Joao Gilberto,Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes and Sylvia Telles, among others...

When we read "Chega de saudade" we are told Bossa Nova's story as if it were a tale: we get to know important facts about that movement, but also entertaining gossip regarding the people who were part of it. Reading this book is quite easy, and you will find that the author makes you smile from time to time with his ironic commentaries. Due to the fact that this is the original version in Portuguese, you won't miss the subtle nuances of meaning that sometimes are lost in the English translation, and you will be able to take delight in several wordplays that Ruy Castro makes throughout the book.

On the whole, I highly recommend "Chega de saudade". I give it 5 stars, because I think it is a perfect example of an entertaining but useful book regarding the history of an important movement in Brazilian music. I particularly love this book because I think that it adds a "human dimension" to Bossa Nova. I like to enjoy the songs, but also to know about the lives of those who wrote them, and what inspired the creators regarding each particular song...

Of course, this book by itself is not enough: you will need to learn more, and listen to the songs "Chega de saudade" talks about. But where can you find a book that exhausts a subject?. I haven't been that lucky yet, so I will gladly settle for one that allows me to start studying the subject, and that makes me more interested in it :)

Belen Alcat

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