One of
Stan Getz's all-time greatest albums,
Sweet Rain was his first major artistic coup after he closed the book on his
bossa nova period, featuring an adventurous young group that pushed him to new heights in his solo statements. Pianist
Chick Corea, bassist
Ron Carter, and drummer
Grady Tate were all schooled in '60s concepts of rhythm-section freedom, and their continually stimulating interplay helps open things up for
Getz to embark on some long, soulful explorations (four of the five tracks are over seven minutes). The neat trick of
Sweet Rain is that the advanced rhythm section work remains balanced with
Getz's customary loveliness and lyricism. Indeed,
Getz plays with a searching, aching passion throughout the date, which undoubtedly helped
Mike Gibbs' title track become a
standard after
Getz's tender treatment here. Technical perfectionists will hear a few squeaks on the LP's second half (
Getz's drug problems were reputedly affecting his articulation somewhat), but
Getz was such a master of mood, tone, and pacing that his ideas and emotions are communicated far too clearly to nit-pick.
Corea's spare, understated work leaves plenty of room for
Getz's lines and the busily shifting rhythms of the bass and drums, heard to best effect in
Corea's challenging opener
"Litha." Aside from that and the title track, the repertoire features another
Corea original (
"Windows"), the typically lovely
Jobim tune
"O Grande Amor," and
Dizzy Gillespie's
Latin-flavored
"Con Alma." The quartet's level of musicianship remains high on every selection, and the marvelously consistent atmosphere the album evokes places it among
Getz's very best. A surefire classic. ~ Steve Huey
