NEW LP
New sealed copy. 2025 Verve Vault Series reissue on 180 gram vinyl.
Focus is a 1961 album by tenor saxophonist Stan Getz, recorded with a string orchestra plus piano, bass, and drums. Conceived as a continuous suite, the project was commissioned by Getz from composer and arranger Eddie Sauter. The collaboration is widely considered a major achievement for both musicians, and Getz later referred to it as his personal favorite among his own recordings. The two would reunite four years later for the soundtrack to Mickey One in 1965.
For Focus, Sauter wrote full string arrangements but provided no written melodies for Getz. Instead, he left open sections for Getz to improvise, creating a structure that blends composed orchestration with spontaneous performance. Accounts from the original sessions indicate that Getz recorded live with the orchestra on some pieces and overdubbed his parts on others.
The opening track, “I’m Late, I’m Late,” draws directly from the second movement of Béla Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, intended by Sauter as an homage. It is also the only piece on the album to feature a second soloist, with Roy Haynes contributing drums.
Focus has retained a strong critical reputation. The Penguin Guide to Jazz included it in its core collection, and later assessments have highlighted it as one of Getz’s most distinctive and accomplished recordings.
TRACKLIST:
A1 I'm Late, I'm Late
A2 Her
A3 Pan
B1 I Remember When
B2 Night Rider
B3 Once Upon a Time
B4 A Summer Afternoon
