Getz had a sound you could pick out instantly: light, clean, genuinely conversational. He played quiet and controlled, which made him ideal for ballads and slow standards, and it showed up right away when he was playing with Woody Herman in the mid-1940s, standing out among all those competitive soloists in the Herman Herd through sheer natural grace.
By the 1950s he was a major voice in cool jazz alongside Miles Davis and Chet Baker, musicians tired of bebop's constant rush. Focus (1961), with intricate arrangements by Eddie Sauter, showed he wasn't afraid of bigger, more complicated settings — but he never let the arrangement take over. No matter what was happening around him, he stayed focused on the melody.
Then came Getz/Gilberto (1964). On paper an odd pairing; once they started playing together, it felt completely right. Working with João Gilberto and vocalist Astrud Gilberto, Getz found a musical language — bossa nova — that matched what he already cared about. "The Girl from Ipanema" became a massive hit, and suddenly millions of people were hearing music that was actually sophisticated and restrained.
His later years were tougher — addiction and health problems got in the way. But at his best, he was an artist still looking for new things to say. His real strength was making complicated music sound easy and natural. Full catalog on his artist page.