The New Stan Getz Quartet’s ‘Getz Au Go Go’: A Confection That Goes Down Easier Than Ever

SHORT OF ONE PROHIBITIVELY RARE, EXPENSIVE PRESSING, THIS IS THE WAY TO HEAR IT

In Greenwich Village, directly across from The Red Lion on Bleecker Street, an unremarkable mixed-use building conceals an extraordinary legacy.

From 1964 to 1970, the basement of the defunct Garrick Theatre housed the Café Au Go Go — a pivotal New York club that welcomed legends ranging from Jimi Hendrix and B.B. King to the Grateful Dead. It opened with a bang: in its first year, comedic groundbreaker Lenny Bruce was arrested by undercover police after a performance and stood trial for obscenity, rendering Café Au Go Go a flashpoint for national debates over free speech.

That same year, 1964, tenor saxophonist Stan Getz was on a roll. The troubled but immensely talented musician had just scored a massive hit with Antônio Carlos Jobim’s “The Girl From Ipanema,” recorded for that year’s Getz/Gilberto. The track featured Brazilian vocalist Astrud Gilberto, who’d never sung in public until her charmingly airy performance on “Ipanema” catapulted her up the pop charts.

Soon afterward, Getz brought his new quartet (including a young Gary Burton on vibes, as well as guitar great Kenny Burrell, bassists Gene Cherico and Chuck Israels, and drummers Joe Hunt and Helcio Milito) to Café Au Go Go to record Getz Au Go Go.

Though the album may feel a tad fluffy and dated today, it didn’t merely capitalize on the bossa nova craze that Getz helped ignite; it actively pushed it in new directions. Outside of Jobim’s “Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,” “Eu e Você,” and “One Note Samba,” Getz Au Go Go plants its flag stateside with standards like “It Might as Well Be Spring,” “Summertime,” and “Here’s That Rainy Day.”

Due in part to the caliber of musicianship on display, these performances remain strong and charismatic. Their historical significance, coupled with their beguiling warmth, makes Getz Au Go Go a worthy addition to any jazz collection — you can practically curl up inside its luxurious soundworld.

On March 7, the ever-meticulous Acoustic Sounds released a new pressing of Getz Au Go Go, transferred from analog tapes. In Tracking Angle editor-in-chief Michael Fremer’s vinyl-and-gear-stuffed basement, we pulled out an original pressing for comparison’s sake.

From the opener, “Corcovado,” the vintage copy still satisfies: despite the usual crackles, the vibe shines through, and there’s real depth and presence in Milito’s cymbals, Burton’s vibes, and Gilberto’s vocals. But what always sounded good had the potential to sound great, and Acoustic Sounds delivers exactly that: its new Getz Au Go Go is exceedingly pleasant — full-bodied, cozy, and enveloping.

But wait, there’s more: to complete the triangulation, Fremer also pulled out a double 45rpm version released by ORG back in 2010. Somehow, almost absurdly, it sounded even better, especially in the bass frequencies. It’s worth tracking down, if you can stomach the price (and don’t mind all that flipping). But that’s arguably too much fuss for an album that’s enjoyable, worthwhile, but somewhat inssential.

In the end, Acoustic Sounds wins this round, transforming somewhat vanilla material into the platonic ideal of an ice cream cone. Best of all, between the clink of silverware and the music’s feathery strains, you feel transported: a Café Au Go Go patron in the August of a remarkable year, watching Getz, Gilberto, and their bandmates make their mark on New York music history.