Final Concert Recordings
Recorded at the Munich Philharmonic Hall in 1990 before a highly  appreciative audience, the 63-year-old Stan Getz gives his final concert  performance, and it is an excellent one indeed. His instantly recognizable tenor  sax tone, well known for its rounded mellifluousness, has, by this time, grown  fuller, with an attractive edge to it. He sounds in tip-top form as he and his  quartet play a varied program of up-tempo swingers ("Seven Steps to Heaven,"  "What Is This Thing Called Love") and numerous lush ballads (Thad Jones's "Yours  and Mine," Billy Strayhorn's "Blood Count"). Kenny Barron's piano style  complements Getz perfectly, and the two seem particularly inspired on this  evening. On several numbers, synthesizers are used to simulate the string  sections of Getz's 1989 recording,Apasionado, and these textural  pieces ("Espagnira," "Coba") add a studiolike lushness to the live concert. Stan  Getz was a major force on tenor sax for over 40 years, and this final document-- a marvelous recording of an inspired performance--is a fitting testimony to his  greatness.--Wally Shoup