Spring Serendipity

A few years back internationally acclaimed Israeli jazz bassist Avishai Cohen remarked that some of his younger counterparts may be getting in on the recording act a little early. “These days, with technological advances, it is so much easier to make records,” he argued. “But, some might not be ready for that yet, and the album will always be out there as their first.” Cohen may have had a highly pertinent point there. But if there’s one jazz artist who cannot be accused of delivering his first fruits “too early” it is David Alfandary. The wind instrument player is finally releasing his debut record, Spring, at the not-so-tender age of 56, at the Internal Compass Summer Jazz Festival which takes place at Mitzpe Ramon August 23-26.

Serendipity plants the seed, careful planning and hard work bring an amazing collaboration to life. Four Seasons in Jazz: Live at Bernie’s is the landmark live recording featuring jazz pianist and vocalist Anne Bisson and the finest musicians and engineers in Hollywood. A selection of popular jazz standards and original compositions by the evocative Canadian songstress was recorded direct-to-disc over two days by Bernie Grundman in Hollywood, CA. Legendary engineer Michael C. Ross used a 100% analog recording chain straight to Grundman’s all-analog record cutting system to realistically capture every amazing moment.

Although the name Stan Getz (tenor sax) was initially synonymous with the West Coast cool scene during the mid-to-late 1950s, he likewise became a key component in the Bossa Nova craze of the early 1960s. Along with Astrud Gilberto (vocals), Getz scored a genre-defining hit with the "Girl From Ipanema," extracted from the equally lauded Getz/Gilberto (1963).

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Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto had a worldwide smash hit in 1964 with The Girl From Ipanema so it made sense to take the show on the road while the song, and bossa nova, were both still hot. Getz and Gilberto embarked on a six-month US tour and recorded two New York shows for this album. One show was at Carnegie Hall, but the show that inspired the album's title was at Greenwich Village's Café Au Go Go. Getz recorded this material with his new quartet, featuring a young Gary Burton on vibraphone, who also contributed two orginal songs. Gilberto earned a multi-album recording contract with Verve as a result of her touring with Getz.

I found this album completely by accident when I was looking up various renditions of Miami Beach Rhumba for a rehearsal. The track was actually on Youtube and piqued my interest enough to spring for the entire album. What a serendipity because I discovered what our friends Down Under already knew - Seidel is an amazing vocalist and pianist, and this album is a treasure trove of beautifully arranged music.