Stan Getz
A Life in Jazz
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Narrated by:
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Patrick Cullen
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By:
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Donald Maggin
About this listen
Long before the success of his bossa nova Grammy winner “The Girl from Ipanema”, Stan Getz was a fixture in the pantheon of jazz greats. From his recording of “Early Autumn” with the Woody Herman band in 1949, which catapulted him to stardom at age 22, to the 1961 jazz/classical masterpiece “Focus”, to the 1990 release of “Apasionado”, Getz’s 49-year career is a tale of enduring artistic success in the midst of a troubled life.
Getz struggled with heroin addiction until the age of 27 and violent alcoholism until the last decade of his life, which led him into trouble with the law and marred his relationships with family and friends. Yet despite his self-destructive behavior, he was still creating gorgeous music at the time of his death from cancer in 1991.
Maggin’s biography captures both the jazz legend and the troubled man with eloquence, honesty, and compassion.
©1996 Donald Maggin (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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What listeners say about Stan Getz
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Kobi
- 07-20-15
Looks like author didn't have access to close friends and family
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
The first half of the book is like a bad history book: list evens around Stan Getz and other people and very little about his experiences and character can be learned. The other half is better, due to records from Stan's lengthy divorce trial. In general, I find I learned from the book mostly on Stan Getz public life and what you learn from divorce trial records and not enough about his character, life ambitions, emotional world and musical explorations.
Would you ever listen to anything by Donald Maggin again?
Yes
Would you listen to another book narrated by Patrick Cullen?
Not likely. Not written very well
Was Stan Getz worth the listening time?
Yes. Still learned interesting things about this great musican.
Any additional comments?
Hope better biography existed.
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
- Marcella B. Luiso
- 05-14-23
Should be renamed, Monica’s Story
This book pays particular attention to detail. At the end of the book I was marveled by the strength of Monica Getz, the second wife of Stanley. I think the title is inappropriate that it doesn’t mention her name first.
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