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| A Merry Christmas! |
| Stan Kenton |
| első megjelenés éve: 1961 |
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| (2003)
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CD |
Kérjen
árajánlatot! |
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| 1. | O Tannenbaum
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| 2. | The Holly and the Ivy
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| 3. | We Three Kings of Orient Are
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| 4. | Good King Wenceslas
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| 5. | The Twelve Days of Christmas
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| 6. | Once in Royal David's City
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| 7. | God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
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| 8. | O Come All Ye Faithful
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| 9. | Angels, We Have Heard on High
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| 10. | O Holy Night
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| 11. | Christmas Medley: Joy to the World/Away in a Manger/The First Noel
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| 12. | What Is a Santa Claus?
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| 13. | Christmas for Moderns: The First Noel/White Christmas/O Come All ...
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Christmas / Jazz
From the Creative World of Stan Kenton Comes...
Stan Kenton - Arranger, Bandleader, Celeste, Narrator, Piano
Albert Pollan - Tuba
Alex Borisoff - Celli, Choir, Chorus, String Section
Allan Harshman - Choir, Chorus, String Section, Violin
Art Anton - Drums
Bob Fitzpatrick - Trombone
Bob Knight - Trombone (Bass)
Bob Rolfe - Trumpet
Bud Brisbois - Trumpet
Cecil Figelski - Choir, Chorus, String Section, Viola
Charlie Saunders - Bass
Chet Ferretti - Trumpet
Clive Acker - Tuba
Dalton Smith - Trumpet
Dave Wheeler - Trombone (Bass)
Dwight Carver - Mellophonium
Emil Richards - Bells, Percussion
Frank Carlson - Drums
Frank Hittner - Sax (Baritone)
Gareth "Garry" Nuttycombe - Choir, Chorus, String Section, Violin
Gene Roland - Mellophonium
Gordon Davison - Mellophonium
Hy Lesnick - Bass, Choir, Chorus, String Section
Hyman Gold - Celli, Choir, Chorus, String Section
Jaki Byard - Piano
Jerry Lestock McKenzie - Drums
Jerry McKenzie - Drums
Jerry Tyree - Trumpet
Jesse Erlich - Celli, Choir, Chorus, String Section
Jim Amlotte - Trombone (Bass)
Jimmy Rowles - Piano
Joe Burnette - Mellophonium
Joe Comfort - Bass
Joe Farrell - Sax (Tenor)
Joe Gibbons - Guitar
Keith LaMotte - Mellophonium
Kenny Rupp - Trombone
Lanny Morgan - Sax (Alto)
Larry Bunker - Bells, Percussion
Larry McGuire - Trumpet
Lee Gillespie - Producer
Maynard Ferguson - Trumpet
Michael Cuscuna - Reissue Producer
Paul Heydorff - Trombone
Pete Chivily - Bass
Ralph Carmichael - Arranger
Rick Kiefer - Trumpet
Rubin Decker - Choir, Chorus, String Section, Violin
Rufus "Speedy" Jones - Bells, Drums
Sanford Skinner - Trumpet
Slide Hampton - Trombone
Teddy Reig - Producer
Tommy Shepard - Trombone
Williams Vandenberg - Celli, Choir, Chorus, String Section
Willie Maiden - Arranger, Sax (Tenor)
When bandleader Stan Kenton was approached to record an album of holiday music in 1961 he agreed, on one condition -- no songs about singing snowmen or flying reindeer. The resulting album, A Merry Christmas, is a polyphonic masterpiece that is at once progressive and traditional. Included are such well-known classics as "O Tannenbaum" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as well as lesser known gems like "The Holly and the Ivy" and "Once in Royal David's City." Featuring Kenton's idiosyncratic style of arranging piercing trumpets over a wooly blanket of trombones and mellophones, this is beautiful, forward-thinking and angular music that addresses both complex classical harmony and Basie-style swing. Epitomizing this is the intricate and delicate harmonic dissonance on "O Come, All Ye Faithful," a must-hear for Kentonites. As a bonus, the album includes Kenton regular trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's stellar 1960 medley "Christmas for Moderns," which features the high-note master's hip takes on such other holiday nuggets as "White Christmas and "Jingle Bells." Fans should also get a kick out of Kenton's humorous 1963 spoken word piece "What Is Santa Claus?."
---Matt Collar, All Music Guide
Stan Kenton
Active Decades: '30s, '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s
Born: Dec 15, 1911 in Wichita, KS
Died: Aug 25, 1979 in Los Angeles, CA
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Big Band, Progressive Big Band, Progressive Jazz, Traditional Pop, Orchestral Jazz
There have been few jazz musicians as consistently controversial as Stan Kenton. Dismissed by purists of various genres while loved by many others, Kenton ranks up there with Chet Baker and Sun Ra as jazz's top cult figure. He led a succession of highly original bands that often emphasized emotion, power, and advanced harmonies over swing, and this upset listeners who felt that all big bands should aim to sound like Count Basie. Kenton always had a different vision.
Kenton played in the 1930s in the dance bands of Vido Musso and Gus Arnheim, but he was born to be a leader. In 1941 he formed his first orchestra, which later was named after his theme song "Artistry in Rhythm." A decent Earl Hines-influenced pianist, Kenton was much more important in the early days as an arranger and inspiration for his loyal sidemen. Although there were no major names in his first band (bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez come the closest), Kenton spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly before a very appreciative audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA. Influenced by Jimmie Lunceford (who, like Kenton, enjoyed high-note trumpeters and thick-toned tenors), the Stan Kenton Orchestra struggled a bit after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place.
By late 1943 with a Capitol contract, a popular record in "Eager Beaver," and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945 the band had evolved quite a bit. Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her popular hits (including "Tampico" and "Across the Alley From the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. Calling his music "progressive jazz," Kenton sought to lead a concert orchestra as opposed to a dance band at a time when most big bands were starting to break up. By 1947 Kai Winding was greatly influencing the sound of Kenton's trombonists, the trumpet section included such screamers as Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, and Al Porcino, Jack Costanzo's bongos were bringing Latin rhythms into Kenton's sound, and a riotous version of "The Peanut Vendor" contrasted with the somber "Elegy for Alto." Kenton had succeeded in forming a radical and very original band that gained its own audience.
In 1949 Kenton took a year off. In 1950 he put together his most advanced band, the 39-piece Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra that included 16 strings, a woodwind section, and two French horns. Its music ranged from the unique and very dense modern classical charts of Bob Graettinger to works that somehow swung despite the weight. Such major players as Maynard Ferguson (whose high-note acrobatics set new standards), Shorty Rogers, Milt Bernhart, John Graas, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Laurindo Almeida, Shelly Manne, and June Christy were part of this remarkable project, but from a commercial standpoint, it was really impossible. Kenton managed two tours during 1950-1951 but soon reverted to his usual 19-piece lineup. Then quite unexpectedly, Kenton went through a swinging period. The charts of such arrangers as Shorty Rogers, Gerry Mulligan, Lennie Niehaus, Marty Paich, Johnny Richards, and particularly Bill Holman and Bill Russo began to dominate the repertoire. Such talented players (in addition to the ones already named) as Lee Konitz, Conte Candoli, Sal Salvador, Stan Levey, Frank Rosolino, Richie Kamuca, Zoot Sims, Sam Noto, Bill Perkins, Charlie Mariano, Mel Lewis, Pete Candoli, Lucky Thompson, Carl Fontana, Pepper Adams, and Jack Sheldon made strong contributions. The music was never predictable and could get quite bombastic, but it managed to swing while still keeping the Kenton sound.
Kenton's last successful experiment was his mellophonium band of 1960-1963. Despite the difficulties in keeping the four mellophoniums (which formed their own separate section) in tune, this particular Kenton orchestra had its exciting moments. However from 1963 on, the flavor of the Kenton big band began to change. Rather than using talented soloists, Kenton emphasized relatively inexpensive youth at the cost of originality. While the arrangements (including those of Hank Levy) continued to be quite challenging, after Gabe Baltazar's "graduation" in 1965, there were few new important Kenton alumni (other than Peter Erskine and Tim Hagans). For many of the young players, touring with Kenton would be the high point of their careers rather than just an important early step. Kenton Plays Wagner (1964) was an important project, but by then the bandleader's attention was on jazz education. By conducting a countless number of clinics and making his charts available to college and high-school stage bands, Kenton insured that there would be many bands that sounded like his, and the inverse result was that his own young orchestra sounded like a professional college band! Kenton continued leading and touring with his big band up until his death in 1979.
Kenton recorded for Capitol for 25 years (1943-1968) and in the 1970s formed his Creative World label to reissue most of his Capitol output and record his current band. In recent times Capitol has begun reissuing Kenton's legacy on CD and there have been two impressive Mosaic box sets.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
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