Zac

Evans
Professor Jeff Hellmer
Improvisation Styles and Techniques, MUS688A
5 December 2014
Analysis of Stan Getzs Solo on The Way You Look Tonight

The Way You Look Tonight is the second track off Stan Getzs 1952 album

Stan Getz Plays. The session featured Duke Jordan on piano, Jimmy Raney on
guitar, Bill Frank on bass, and Frank Isola on drums. Getz is the only soloist on the
three-minute up recording, with guitar only playing on the head. The group
reinterprets the normally relaxed standard by playing with a double-time feel. This
rhythmic choice contributes significant energy to the band and allows Getz to
demonstrate his technical facility and faster vocabulary. When the melody returns,
they only play the A section of the tune. Here, the guitar re-enters and the group
dials back the energy from Getzs solo to treat the melody in a sweet and flowing
way that is more indicative of the original lyrics.
Diatonicism, Melodic Shapes, and Arpeggios

A large portion of Stan Getzs playing in his solo is melodic diatonic material.

Occasionally parts of his solo sound like pre-composed melodies on their own. This
tendency in indicative of the cool style in general, which Getz was closely
associated with in the 1950s. In this solo, he tends play relatable diatonic melodies
at the top of sections in the form. The first notable appearance of this kind of
material is in mm. 50-54.

Example 1

In this example, Getz draws almost entirely from the G major scale and blankets that
harmony over the four bars. His playful rhythmic concept along with the diatonic
approach forms a distinct melody, as if it was pre-composed. He uses a similar
method in mm. 38-41, mm. 71-77, mm. 87-91, and mm. 103-109. In these examples,
he seldom deviates from the related major key of the moment. He does, however,
vary his rhythmic approach and inserts varying melodic shapes.

Example 2

In the above example, Getz does not diverge from Bb major material and
makes use of various diatonic shapes, a theme throughout the solo. In m. 107, he
uses a melodic shape based in thirds from the Bb major scale, sometimes referred to
as a stair step motion. This, along with various other melodic figures, appears
frequently throughout the solo. The stair step motion also appears in m.41, m. 59,
and m.62. Another frequently used melodic shape first appears in m. 10.

Example 3

This shape, emphasizing the fifth of the D7 chord, is played and developed
frequently throughout the solo. Most often the figure in played in G major, however,
surrounding the root. The figure can be seen again in m. 33, mm. 63-65, and m. 74.

Example 4, 5

One more figure appears frequently in throughout Getzs solo, initially in m. 9

and again in m. 21, m. 77, and m. 86.

Example 6, 7, 8, 9

As demonstrated, this exact four-note sequence is used multiple times over the
exact same chord, A-7. Essentially, this shape is a descending diatonic triad
approached from below by a half step. Getz, in this solo, most frequently uses this
shape in a diatonic way that doesnt deviate from G major. In one case, though, he
does use this shape and briefly sequences it down a step in mm. 22-23.

Example 10

This pattern appears in various other solos from Getz and appears to be a staple of
his vocabulary.

Getz, in general, frequently utilizes ascending and descending arpeggiated

patterns throughout the solo to navigate the changes. Often, similar to the
previously mentioned pattern, he approaches arpeggios from a half step below, as
seen in m. 20, mm. 27-29, m.56, m. 66, and m. 83.

Example 11

In this case, m. 20, he in anticipating the A-7 chord in the next bar with an A minor
triad, starting on the root. In other cases, he outlines upper extensions of the
harmony by staring the arpeggios on thirds and fifths.

Example 12, 13

By beginning these ascending arpeggios on the third and fifth chord tones, he plays
ascends into the ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chord tones. He uses this technique
in mm. 25-26, m. 78, m. 85, and m. 102 as well.

Example 14

The example in m. 85 is especially interesting because he ascends a Gmaj7 arpeggio

beginning on the third and the proceeds to play the same thing down a half step and
descending. Harmonically, against the E-7, these four notes are note especially
functionally. However, in the context of the pattern and moving line, the dissonance
works.
Aside from this chromatic motion, Getz does occasionally make use of the
chromatic scale. However, he uses it in a generally sweeping fashion by playing
triplets and sixteenths, almost as if it were a glissando. He uses this seeping
chromatic material in m. 67 and m. 93.

Example 15

Common Language

In addition to diatonic patterns and arpeggios, Getz does make use of more

common bebop language. He occasionally uses surround figures to accentuate the

chords tones that he lands on. In m. 68 and m. 94, he actually plays the exact same
thing, ending the phrase with a surround tone of the tonic G.

Example 16, 17

Getzs most interesting and complex surround figure occurs in mm. 42-43.

Example 18

In beat four of m. 42, he surrounds the #11 of the Bbmaj7 chord, which then becomes
a surround of the fifth. He delays the resolution of the figure until beat three of m.
43, a common technique in bebop language.

Over an E7 chord, Getz has a tendency to gravitate toward a specific figure

common to bebop language. He first plays the four-note figure in m. 17.

Example 19

This figure jumps up from the third of the E7 chord to the flat ninth and descends
down the scale from there. He plays this exact sequence of notes again in m. 24 and
m. 117.
Along with his diatonic approach, Getz will also insert altered and passing
tones into descending lines over dominant chords. Most frequently, he alters or
inserts a chromatic passing tone over a D7. This is demonstrated best in m. 82, but
also appears in m. 14, m. 66, and m. 58 as well.

Example 20


In m. 82 he seems to treat the entire bar as a D7 chord. The only tones he alters are
the third and the ninth, which is true for the majority of the solo. When goes to
altered material, generally only the third and the ninth are affected. This is
demonstrated in m. 42 as well over the F7.

Example 21

Motivic Development

At multiple points throughout the solo, Getz takes a simple idea and develops

the motive over four to eight measures. The most immediately striking of these
motivic developments is the first phrase that he plays in mm. 1-8.
In this example, he actually only alters one note, the G# in m. 4, from the original
idea. The development of the brief motive comes from the rhythmic displacement of
that initial idea.
Example 22

Example 23

In mm. 27-30, Getz also creates motivic material with a rhythmic idea, but he varies
the note choice in accordance to the passing chord changes.


Here he approaches the two-note figures at the beginning of each bar with an
arpeggio approached by a half step, as mentioned earlier. He doesnt seem to be
choosing a specific chord tone to land on or arpeggio to ascend in each repetition of

the idea. Instead he seems to slightly vary the idea according to the chord of the
moment. The initial adjacent two-note idea appears again in m. 42, and is later
developed into an ascending line in mm. 45-48.

Example 24

In this example, Getz takes the idea of the adjacent repeated notes and uses them to
build excitement and tension by ascending through the chord changes. The idea
develops just before the form returns to the A section after the bridge. Therefore,
along with the natural tension in the chord structure to return to the home key of G
major, Getz uses this ascending reoccurring material to add to the anticipation.

Getz also develops a simple and brief idea in mm. 87-91. Here he uses

repeated scale-based triplet figures to generate more rhythmic activity.

Example 25

He jumps between the same diatonic pattern, but alternates between starting on the
fifth and the root. The overall effect is a flourish of quick major scale material meant
to build excitement in the listener and the ensemble.

Stan Getzs solo on The Way You Look Tonight is a suiting example of his
tone and approach during this period of his career. He subtly combines brief
moments of chromaticism and bebop vocabulary with melodic ideas and motives.
This subtlety is perhaps a reason why his playing had such broad appeal. Similar to
his contemporaries in the cool style, such as Paul Desmond and Chet Baker, his
melodic material is imminently relatable to even an untrained ear. Getzs ability to
improvise such melodic material on the spot is deceptively difficult, and he displays
that ability regularly in his solo on this track.