Poetic swing-era saxophonist Stan Getz, a genius with a tone soft enough to make purring cats sound harsh, is typecast by his chilled-out 1960s jazz samba hits. But he was a brilliant swing-to-bebop improviser in the right setting. This previously unreleased 1976 set from San Francisco’s Keystone Korner takes him outside his comfort zone with the unfamiliar trio of pianist Joanne Brackeen, bassist Clint Houston and drummer Billy Hart. Wayne Shorter’s Infant Eyes and Kenny Wheeler’s Latin-funky The Cry of the Wild Goose are among its eight covers, and Getz sounds as free as the wind despite the daunting post-bop unpredictability of his partners. Infant Eyes features shimmering hoots and transported ascents from Getz, with a solo of swirls and playful pirouettes from Brackeen. Getz the balladeer is masterly in Horace Silver’s Peace and Prelude to a Kiss, and he gallops with relish through Dizzy Gillespie’s Con Alma. A unique jazz encounter mostly well caught, give or take the odd live-audio glitch.
