Song of the Day: Once Upon a Time [YouTube link], composed by Eddie Sauter, was recorded at Webster Hall in New York City on this date in 1961. A master of harmonic modulation, Sauter created orchestral arrangements for this third-stream experiment, merging classical and jazz styles. He left it to legendary tenor saxophone jazz soloist Stan Getz to improvise his own melodies over the themes laid down by the orchestra. “Focus“, the album that resulted, was recorded on July 14 and July 28.
In the first session, only some of the pieces were recorded solely by the orchestra since Getz was sitting shiva in the wake of his mother’s death. This meant that on July 28, he’d record his soloing over some pre-recorded tracks, while others would be recorded live with the orchestra. Working from a sketchy lead sheet, Getz improvised a concerto in real-time in a single recording session. Steve Cerra observed that “if anything qualifies Stan Getz for the title of genius, it’s what he achieved on July 28th 1961.” With Hershey Kay conducting, this composition—written in 6/8 (or what some claim is 12/8) time—is just one aspect of the brilliant seven-piece suite that constitutes this remarkable project, recorded 65 years ago.
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