Getz on Coltrane on Getz

Coltrane's comment that "We would all play like Stan Getz, if we could" (as quoted in Donald Maggin's Getz bio, citing liner notes to a Book-of-the-Month Getz record) is cited pretty frequently here. I'm sure it was intended as a kind remark, but it's rather silly, since most jazz musicians aspire to find their own unique voice, Coltrane as much as anyone. Stan is right on target in his comment on Trane that Maggin juxtaposes with the Trane quote (the two were sharing double bills in an attempt to rebuild Stan's U.S. fan base after a European hiatus around 1960):

I'd come in early and listen to John during his set, and he'd be playing so beautifully in his style that he inspired me to push myself all that much harder when it was my turn to play. There was no cutting contest involved, though some critics and fans might have thought so. I was really pleased that the audience could dig both of us, two different tenor styles, because that's what music is all about - a lot of guys saying different things their own way, and saying something worth listening to.

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