Verve's
Ultimate series lets the professionals do the picking. In the case of
Ultimate Stan Getz, tenor saxophonist
Joe Henderson selected the cuts that fill this 12-track sampler of
Getz delicacies. Roughly spanning the latter '50s to the late '60s, the disc takes in
Getz's work with
Oscar Peterson, arranger
Eddie Sauter ("Once Upon a Time" from the Focus album), and
Dizzy Gillespie ("Siboney, Pt. 2"), as well as the obligatory bossa cut ("Desafinado"). There are also some fine sides from his early West Coast sessions ("S-H-I-N-E") and 1967's stellar date with
Chick Corea,
Sweet Rain ("Con Alma"). A solid and unique
Getz roundup. ~ Stephen Cook