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| 1. | Pizzicato
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| 2. | Our Waltz
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| 3. | Tabby the Cat
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| 4. | The Man I Love
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| 5. | Stars in My Eyes
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| 6. | Sergeant's Mess
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| 7. | And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine
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| 8. | Blue Skies
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| 9. | I'm Going Mad for a Pad
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| 10. | Blow Jack
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| 11. | She's Funny That Way
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| 12. | Artistry in Rhythm
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| 13. | My Guy's Come Back
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| 14. | It's Never Too Late to Pray
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| 15. | Elegie
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| 16. | Got a Penny, Jenny
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| 17. | Summertime
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| 18. | Baby Won't You Please Come Home
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| 19. | Fine, Fine Deal
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| 20. | More Than You Know
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| 21. | Painted Rhythm
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Jazz / Progressive Jazz, Traditional Pop
Kenton, Stan, piano
Stan Kenton Orchestra
O'Day, Anita, vocals
Mussulli, Boots, saxophone
Howard, Gene, vocals
Christy, June, vocals
It is strange to think that there was a time when record labels did not want their releases to be played over the radio. The companies did not see any benefit to offering their music to the general public for free, so they discouraged radio stations from playing their 78s until they changed their minds in the 1950s, finally realizing that it was really free advertising. Because radio stations had a great deal of time to fill, an agreement was reached in which radio transcription companies could record the top bands of the era. These performances were made specifically to be played on the radio and were not for sale to the public. The result was that the discographies of many orchestras were doubled or tripled and, in addition to alternate versions of selections cut for the record labels, many other otherwise undocumented arrangements were recorded. The radio transcriptions are also of great value because they fill in the gap caused by the musicians union's recording strike against the record labels during 1942-44.
The Stan Kenton Orchestra recorded an extensive series of radio transcriptions for the MacGregor company during 1941-45; this is the final of five CDs that reissue all of the performances.
At the time of the December 1944 transcriptions that open this release, Stan Kenton had just turned 33 and his band was not yet four years old. Born 15 December 1911 in Wichita, Kansas, Kenton had picked up important early experience playing in Los Angeles in the 1930s with several different orchestras and dance bands including that of Everett Hoagland, Russ Plummer and Gus Arnheim. He started leading a rehearsal band in late 1940 but it was a part-time affair until the summer of 1941. At that point, Kenton landed a five-night-a-week engagement at the Rendez-vous Ballroom in Balboa near Los Angeles. The successes of that summer resulted in the Stan Kenton Orchestra developing its own original sound, starting to record transcriptions for the MacGregor company, and gaining a contract with the Decca label, with nine songs being recorded during 1941-42.
After that initial triumph, Kenton and his big band struggled for a couple years. They toured the East Coast for much of 1942 and became the house band for Bob Hope's radio series for a year, a job that Kenton ended up hating because it gave his band little to do. Much more satisfying was signing with the new Capitol label in the fall of 1943. "Eager Beaver" from the initial 18 November 1943 date was a hit and Kenton stayed with Capitol for 25 years. The steady stream of recordings helped Kenton to build up an audience for his group, even as he hoped to progress from being a swing dance band to a concert orchestra.
The Kenton Orchestra at the time of its December 1944 McGregor transcription session lacked any big name soloists but its ensemble sound was distinctive, featuring passionate brass, screaming trumpets and thick-toned saxophonists. Kenton's early music was swing-oriented (particularly the vocal pieces) but stood apart from the other orchestras of the swing era.
The familiar classical melody Pizzicato has a brief spot for altoist Boots Mussulli (the band's most impressive soloist during this period) and trumpeter Karl George. Gene Howard was the orchestra's ballad singer during 1944-46 and he is featured on Our Waltz. Anita O'Day was Kenton's biggest attraction at the time, still riding on her success with Gene Krupa's band during 1941-43.
She sounds exuberant on the novelty Tabby The Cat. Boots Mussulli wrote the arrangement for The Man I Love and is the solo star. After Howard sings the obscure Stars In My Eyes, Sergeant's Mess features the early Kenton big band at its best. This romp has a boppish trumpet solo from John Carroll, brief spots for Mussulli and trumpeter Karl George, and an early statement from the young tenor-saxophonist Stan Getz, who was still three years away from joining Woody Herman's Second Herd where he found his initial fame. O'Day had one hit during her period with the Kenton band, And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine, and this version compares favorably with the commercially released rendition.
On an uptempo Blue Skies, Mussulli takes one of his best solos, sounding like a mix of Benny Carter and Willie Smith. O'Day returns for I'm Going Mad For A Pad. Blow Jack has spots for John Carroll, Kenton's piano, Emmett Carls on tenor and Mussulli. Gene Howard takes an encore on She's Funny That Way and then the band plays their standard full-length version of Kenton's dramatic theme song, Artistry In Rhythm.
During the year that separates the December 1944 session from the final set of radio transcriptions, the Stan Kenton Orchestra grew in individuality, popularity and power. June Christy replaced Anita O'Day and immediately had a big hit with Tampico. Other popular records for the band included Southern Scandal, Artistry Jumps and Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'. Pete Rugolo was just beginning to contribute arrangements to the band (often extending Kenton's ideas), the rhythm section had the benefit of including the superb bassist Eddie Safranski, and both the tough-toned Vido Musso and the cooler sounding Bob Cooper were very capable soloists on tenor.
My Guy's Come Back has a particularly cheerful vocal from June Christy, who quickly developed into the most beloved of all Kenton singers. Gene Howard has a warm vocal on It's Never Too Late To Pray while Vido Musso on Elegie shows why he was so highly respected by bandleaders despite his weak sight-reading abilities. Got A Penny, Jenny, a novelty that was recorded by the King Cole Trio, features both Christy and Musso while Howard makes his last appearance on Summertime. Kenton starts Baby Won't You Please Come Home a bit like Count Basie before Musso and Mussulli get their spots. June Christy sings the blues on Fine, Fine Deal during an arrangement that quotes both Blues In My Heart and Salt Peanuts. Kenton begins More Than You Know, sounding like his original idol, Earl Hines. Both this release and the MacGregor Kenton transcriptions conclude with the catchy and swinging Painted Rhythm which has solo space for Kenton and Musso.
As 1945 ended, Stan Kenton was getting ready to start his Progressive Jazz era. He still had 34 more years of accomplishments ahead of him. But, as the MacGregor transcriptions show, his big band was already in its own musical category, creating jazz history.
--- Scott Yanow, author of 8 jazz books including Jazz On Record 1917-76, Bebop, Swing and Trumpet Kings
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 Jazz, Traditional Pop
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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