🎵 AotW AOTW: Stan Getz - APASIONADO (SP-5297)

[Captain Bacardi]

Stan Getz
APASIONADO
A&M SP-5297

Released 1990
Peaked at #4 on the Top Jazz Albums chart (1990)

Format: CD/Cassette

Produced by Herb Alpert

Songs:

• 1. Apasionado - 8:05
  2. Coba - 7:05
  3. Waltz For Stan (Eddie del Barrio) - 6:05
  4. Española - 4:15
  5. Madrugada - 5:26
  6. Amorous Cat - 4:58
  7. Midnight Ride - 8:58
  8. Lonely Lady (Mike Lang) - 5:39
  
  All songs written by Eddie del Barrio, Herb Alpert & Stan Getz except where indicated.

Musicians:
Stan Getz - Tenor Saxophone
Eddie del Barrio - Synthesizers
Mike Lang - Electric Piano, Synthesizers
Kenny Barron - Acoustic Piano
Paulinho da Costa - Percussion
Jimmy Johnson - Bass
Oscar Castro Neves - Electric Guitar
Michael Landau - Electric Guitar (4)
Jeff Porcaro - Drums
George Bohanon - Trombone
Reginald Young - Trombone
Noland Smith, Jr. - Trumpet
Rick Baptist - Trumpet
Oscar Brashear - Trumpet
William Green - Sax
Tom Johnson - Tuba

Recorded live at A&M Studio "A"
Engineered, Mixed and Re-mixed by Niko Bolas
Assistant Engineers: Nick Jerrard, Ed Goodreau, Greg Goldman, Bob Vogt
Horns recorded by: Shelly Yakus
Arranged by: Herb Alpert and Eddie del Barrio
Horns and Strings Orchestrated and Conducted by: Eddie del Barrio
Mastered at The Mastering Lab by Doug Sax

Art Direction/Design - Chuck Beeson
Photography - Dean Chamberlain (flowers); Michael Miller (Stan Getz)



Capt. Bacardi

 

[seashorepiano]

Is this his last album?

 

[Captain Bacardi]

This was his last studio album. His last album to be released while he was alive was People Time, which was a live recording playing duets with Kenny Barron. It was released on Verve. Of course, there's been a lot of posthumous releases as well.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[toeknee4bz]

I remember getting this for my birthday in December of 1990. My mother has always been a big fan of the Stan/Jobim/Astrud Gilberto stuff from the early years. She saw that APASIONADO was produced by Herb Alpert, and thought I would like it. We were both mesmorized by the fact that this album was waaaaayyyy out there from the old "Girl From Ipanema" era, and sounded nothing like that of what Herb was recording, even with Del Barrio. It's a one-of-a-kind album.

Never cared for "straight-ahead" jazz music until this, and Lee Ritenour's STOLEN MOMENTS came out that same year. What a life-changing experience. Next thing I knew I was buying CDs like THE BEST OF VINCE GUARALDI, Eddie Del Barrio's FREE PLAY (although I must admit that I absolutely hated that project), and THE INCREDIBLE JAZZ GUITAR OF WES MONTGOMERY.

Granted it's still not something I play every day, but I will always remember the way that my mom finally got me to listen to Stan Getz... through an album the likes that even she hadn't anticipated, the one and only APASIONADO.

Tony

 

[Captain Bacardi]

This was a huge departure from what Stan Getz usually did. Lots of bells and whistles surrounds Getz, but fortunately his sax playing stays above the fray. I like the title tune, especially when Getz does a little quote from "Girl From Ipanema". Another favorite is "Amorous Cat" and "Coba". But some songs annoyed me, such as "Española" and "Madrugada". They did nothing for me. This just isn't the setting that I prefer Getz to be in, even though he plays some monster solos. 3 stars.

I was glad when they finally released Bossas & Ballads: The Lost Sessions a few years ago which was recorded in the same time period as Apasionado, but with a more straight-ahead approach.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[toeknee4bz]

Another favorite is "Amorous Cat" and "Coba". But some songs annoyed me, such as "Española" and "Madrugada".
Capt. Bacardi

Annoyed? Let me guess: the repetition of the guitar riffs? More than one repetitive motif being displayed in the overall track? Please elaborate...

I do agree that "Coba" and "Amorous Cat" are two of the best tracks on this album, even more appealing than the title track. Truthfully, I really liked the arrangement of "Coba" moreso than the composition itself. It's still a captivating number. As for "Amorous Cat", I always thought it was one of the more down-to-earth works, and I probably like this now even more than I did back then.

Keep in mind that I'm more of a pop fan than a jazz fan. I was wondering whether BOSSAS AND BALLADS is more 'straightahead jazz', but the title makes me think of an easy listening project, such as the old Getz/Jobim/Gilberto stuff. APASIONADO opened a door for me. I don't know all of the inside stuff going on in a jazz setting. I usually don't go for an album that features hardly any melody and meanders the whole time on solos. That's what I hated about Eddie Del Barrio's FREE PLAY album, regardless of the fact that Herb Alpert produced it as well. Simply put, I thought it was crap.

Not so for this album. Though I don't exactly 'wear out' this CD either, the fact that I keep it and even occasionally play it says something about my attitude toward this project. Not sure if I'd like a steady diet of this type of music in general, but I give credit where credit is due. So my credit is this: APASIONADO is a rare and entertaining gem, even if you're not a 'jazz fan' per se.

Tony

 

[Stephen Vakil]

As everyone has said, this is a departure for SG. I was glad to get Bossas and Ballads, by I prefer Apassionado. It almost has an experimental feel. I wonder what other recordings Herb made with Getz. I never greatly enjoyed Friends - a little too slow and laboured, maybe?

Stephen

 

[LPJim]

I was playing LOST SESSIONS recently and was puzzled by a comment in the liner notes.

It said this album was shelved because A&M didn't have an outlet for straight ahead jazz in 1989. Seems this would have fit nicely in the 'Modern Masters' series.

Better late than never (thanks to Verve/A&M) I suppose.

JB

 

[Estrella]

As a professional jazz composer, I can say that all the pieces on this album are excellent, and Espanola is actually a perl when it comes to harmony. By the way, the pieces were written by Eduardo Del Barrio.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

By the way, the pieces were written by Eduardo Del Barrio.

No, they were written by del Barrio, Alpert and Getz as noted in the original post.



Capt. Bacardi