Description

Focus, recorded at Webster Hall in New York City and released in 1961 on Verve Records, stands as a singular entry in saxophonist Stan Getzs discography. Focus pairs Getzs expressive tenor saxophone with a string orchestra conducted by Hershy Kay. Getzs parts were entirely improvised, as he navigated pre-composed frameworks with melodic invention and emotional clarity. The album represents a true collaboration between Sauter and Getz, and a radical departure from the conventions of jazz with strings albums of the time. Sauters charts emphasize contrapuntal writing, rhythmic complexity, and harmonic ambiguity, while Getz – unedited and unrehearsed in the traditional sense – weaves a lyrical, instinctive line throughout. The result remains one of the most original and artistically daring projects in Getzs recorded legacy; the artists favorite of all the records he made.