At a sold-out gig at Ronnie Scott’s Sunday jazz lunch, the dazzling Chris Ingham Quartet brought to life the warm lyrical genius of American jazz saxophonist Stan Getz.  A packed audience was taken on a guided musical tour from the late 1940s to the early 1990s to commemorate the tenor saxophonist’s 45-year-old career as one of the jazz greats.

Chris Ingham on piano, Mark Crooks on tenor saxophone, Joe Pettitt on bass and George
Double on drums produced cracking interpretations of some of the highlights of Getz’s
musical repertoire that crossed jazz styles from dixieland to latin swing, to bebop and
Brazilian bossa nova.  Highlights included Shine that launched Getz’s professional
career, Early Autumn released in 1950 that catapulted him to stardom and demonstrated
his lyrical mastery, a jaunty version of Signal, and Ingham’s virtuoso piano on Voyage.

Predictable perhaps, but toes were tapping to Getz’s 1960’s worldwide hit The Girl from Ipanema, a commercial success that was blamed for blotting his genius because melody came all to easily to him. Getz may have fallen victim to the demons of drink and drug addictions that isolated him from his wives and kids, but when he picked up
his tenor sax he created what became known as ‘The Sound’ akin to an angelic voice.
‘He was only ever interested in creating beauty in his art,’ said Ingham.  And the Chris Ingham Quartet beautifully transcribed the genius of this remarkable man.

By the end of the gig Stan Getz’ beatific sound captured by the brilliant Mark Crooks had cast its divine magic on the audience as family and friends moved closer together, kids snuggled up into their parents’ arms and young lovers wrapped themselves up until you couldn’t tell where two became one.  Getz’s music didn’t only bring out the angel in him, it brought it out in all of us.

For those wanting more, the band’s album Stan is available from www.chrisingham.co.uk

Photo credit: Peter Davies