Lester Left Town – 1978
Stan Getz
A reunion with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer
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Tenor-saxophonist Stan Getz and valve-trombonist Bob Brookmeyer were always very complementary players, coming out of the bebop tradition, making a major impact in the 1950s, and continuing to grow for the next few decades.
Getz and Brookmeyer worked together regularly during 1952-55, shared a fine album in 1961, and then in 1978 had a reunion for a tour of Eastern Europe; their last joint recording was at the 1981 Aurex Jazz Festival.
Their performance of Wayne Shorter’s “Lester Left Town” in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1978 was fortunately documented.
The song always fit Getz’s style well and he creates an adventurous solo while Brookmeyer, the master of the valve trombone, takes a fluent improvisation of his own before the fadeout.
The two masters are joined by pianist Andy Laverne, bassist Mike Richmond, drummer Jeff Brillinger and percussionist Efrain Toro for this cooking version.
-Scott Yanow
Stan Getz