Stan Kenton: Essential Recordings

[neveronfriday]

I like small group and big band sessions that swing.

Swing is the very essence of the music I like.

I like big band music that has drive, intelligence and surprises.

I love West Coast jazz as well.

Period.

I also like (love) vocal jazz if it's got those extra elements that I need: intelligence, interesting arrangement, unique voice. I love Anita O'Day (#1), Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday (#s 2), June Christy and Una Mae Carlisle (#s 3) and Dinah Washington (#4).

If the session has Anita O'Day, I'm interested in it no matter which of the requirements above are fulfilled ... even if none are.

I abhor anything that is free or turns into mindless blowing sessions or muzak big band outings. If a recording has only very few highlights and is otherwise, err, boring, ... nope.

I need good sound (I'm not the snap-crackle-pop guy), although mediocre will do if the music merits sitting through the "noise" (this goes for many of the Armstrong or Ellington sessions that I just love, although the sound is close to horrible). Hell, I couldn't care less if I need ear plugs to sit through a stellar session.

I have the feeling that too many Kenton sessions might fulfill my requirements from what I've read, but I'm looking for 5 to 10 essential recordings that you think I should have/anyone with more than a passing interest in jazz should have.

It's Kenton Christmas for me soon. I won't buy anything else, because it's one of the most glaring holes in my collection.

Can you help me out with releases that are a) easily available and b) are must-haves?

It would also help if they don't cost an arm, a leg and at least one testicle.

Thanks for your help.

Edited December 2, 2006 by neveronfriday

[GA Russell]

CD Universe has a Proper Box of four CDs for $20.00 which is probably a good bet for his earlier recordings.

You will probably also like Kenton Showcase, which is a CD of two 10-inch records of Holman and Russo arrangements.

I can also recommend Contemporary Concepts from I think 1956, and New Concepts in Artistry in Rhythm which I believe are still available. One of his most popular albums is Cuban Fire, but I've never heard it so I can't recommend it.

I haven't heard much of what he did after 1957, but I think a lot of it is leaden compared to pre-1957. However, he did a Christmas album called A Merry Christmas! in 1961 (I think) which is one of my better Xmas albums.

I have a CD which I enjoy called Innovations Orchestra 1952, which is taken from two radio broadcasts. However, I think it is long out of print.

I can recommend the long out of print Mosaic box of Holman and Russo charts, but good luck finding that one.

[Guy Berger]

City of Glass is very cool, but I don't think it would be your "thing".

Guy

Edited December 2, 2006 by Guy

[Swinging Swede]

Well, Anita O'Day was with with Kenton in 1944-45 and June Christy followed her in 1945-1948, so the original orchestra should be a given. Contrary to many other big band leaders in the late big band era, Kenton did very well and had his biggest hits in those years. His Capitol recordings 1943-47, both commercial and transcriptions were collected in a now OOP Mosaic set. Except some alternate takes, those recordings have been collected in two Definitive sets, a 4-CD set for the commercial Capitol recordings, and a 2-CD set for the Capitol transcriptions. Capitol had excellent sound in the 40s, so you don't have to worry about the sound issue. Kenton had many fine bands later, but his 40s recordings remain his most important, so it doesn't get any more essential than that. Some of his progressive 1947 charts may not be to your liking, though.

From the hi-fi era I can recommend Easy Go which collects 20 jazz tracks from 1950-52, that are unusually swinging for being Kenton. That early 50s band had an unusually starstudded personnel too with people like Maynard Ferguson, Conte Candoli, Art Pepper, Bud Shank and Bob Cooper.

I can also recommend Kenton In Hi-Fi from 1956 which has the Kenton band recreating his biggest hits from the 40s in hi-fi. Kenton's tenor star from the 40s, Vido Musso, sits in with the band again on this one.

Edited December 2, 2006 by Swinging Swede

[Big Beat Steve]

GA Russell and Swinging Swede have already mentioned most of his major Capitol and concert recordings of the 40s/50s (his most important periods, I think).

Just one more Capitol item (if you do not want to go for huge boy sets that include his complete works): His CUBAN FIRE album from 1956 was quite a milestone in his own right.

And then there are the six Kenton LP's from the "The Uncollected" series on the Hindsight label. These radio transcriptions do not duplicate the Capitol studio recordings and often show the Kenton band in a looser and more swinging mood. Vols. I and II show his 1941 band, Vols. III to 5 cover 1943 to 1947, and Vol. 6 features his 1962 "Mellophonium band" (an instrumentation that sounds quite odd but actually the music is very swinging and "accessible").

[Eloe Omoe]

I like small group and big band sessions that swing.

Swing is the very essence of the music I like.

I like big band music that has drive, intelligence and surprises.

I love West Coast jazz as well.

Period.

Can you help me out with releases that are a) easily available and b) are must-haves?

I think that a Kenton record which would fit your requirements well is Adventures in Blues, easily available on a Capitol CD. It has swing, drive, intelligence and surprise (and very good arrangements, mostly by the underrated Gene Roland). I used a track from it for my recent Blindfold test, and I succeeded in fooling almost everyone

luca

Edited December 2, 2006 by Eloe Omoe

[John Tapscott]

I like small group and big band sessions that swing.

Swing is the very essence of the music I like.

I like big band music that has drive, intelligence and surprises.

I love West Coast jazz as well.

Period.

Can you help me out with releases that are a) easily available and b) are must-haves?

I think that a Kenton record which would fit your requirements well is Adventures in Blues, easily available on a Capitol CD. It has swing, drive, intelligence and surprise (and very good arrangements, mostly by the underrated Gene Roland). I used a track from it for my recent Blindfold test, and I succeeded in fooling almost everyone

luca

IMHO, the ONE Kenton CD which best fulfills the requirements is actually Kenton Live From Las Vegas Tropicana (perhaps the most "west coast" of Kenton's albums, and quite straight ahead). Rumor has it that Kenton held up the album's release because it swung so hard and sounded closer to Woody Herman than the stereotypical Kenton sound. Adventures in Blues is a very close second.

[alocispepraluger102]

I like small group and big band sessions that swing.

Swing is the very essence of the music I like.

I like big band music that has drive, intelligence and surprises.

I love West Coast jazz as well.

Period.

Can you help me out with releases that are a) easily available and b) are must-haves?

I think that a Kenton record which would fit your requirements well is Adventures in Blues, easily available on a Capitol CD. It has swing, drive, intelligence and surprise (and very good arrangements, mostly by the underrated Gene Roland). I used a track from it for my recent Blindfold test, and I succeeded in fooling almost everyone

luca

i concur, ditto trop.

Edited December 2, 2006 by alocispepraluger102

[neveronfriday]

Thanks a million, guys!

Those are exactly the recommendations I was looking for. Many excellent recommendations in there.

Keep 'em coming ... I've got 10 CDs to buy ... minimum.

I'll let you know which releases I bought once I sampled all the recommendations.

[neveronfriday]

From the hi-fi era I can recommend Easy Go which collects 20 jazz tracks from 1950-52, that are unusually swinging for being Kenton. That early 50s band had an unusually starstudded personnel too with people like Maynard Ferguson, Conte Candoli, Art Pepper, Bud Shank and Bob Cooper.

That sounds like it would be right up my alley and a #1 purchase.

[neveronfriday]

I like small group and big band sessions that swing.

Swing is the very essence of the music I like.

I like big band music that has drive, intelligence and surprises.

I love West Coast jazz as well.

Period.

Can you help me out with releases that are a) easily available and b) are must-haves?

I think that a Kenton record which would fit your requirements well is Adventures in Blues, easily available on a Capitol CD. It has swing, drive, intelligence and surprise (and very good arrangements, mostly by the underrated Gene Roland). I used a track from it for my recent Blindfold test, and I succeeded in fooling almost everyone

luca

i concur, ditto trop.

I think this might be purchase #2!

[neveronfriday]

Except some alternate takes, those recordings have been collected in two Definitive sets, a 4-CD set for the commercial Capitol recordings, and a 2-CD set for the Capitol transcriptions. Capitol had excellent sound in the 40s, so you don't have to worry about the sound issue. Kenton had many fine bands later, but his 40s recordings remain his most important, so it doesn't get any more essential than that. Some of his progressive 1947 charts may not be to your liking, though.

I have plenty of Definitive stuff that I'm more than happy with, so all of that might be purchase #3, 4 ... and whatever.

[Stereojack]

I can also recommend Contemporary Concepts from I think 1956, and New Concepts in Artistry in Rhythm which I believe are still available. One of his most popular albums is Cuban Fire, but I've never heard it so I can't recommend it.

The first two are among my favorites as well. Cuban Fire is a definite winner, with charts by Johnny Richards and Lucky Thompson as featured soloist.

[ghost of miles]

Here's another Kenton question--has most of the now-OOP Holman/Russo-arranged Mosaic been reissued on CD? I have both SKETCHES ON STANDARDS and PORTRAITS ON STANDARDS, which feature a # of Holman arrangemets. Bought the Capitol 1943-47 Mosaic when it was still available but somehow missed the boat on Holman-Russo...

NOFriday, speaking of Anita, I did a tribute on Afterglow Friday night, including some excerpts from a 2003 interview that I did with her... should be archived sometime late Monday. I included a live performance of "The Lady in Red" with the Kenton band from 1944.

[Eloe Omoe]

Here's another Kenton question--has most of the now-OOP Holman/Russo-arranged Mosaic been reissued on CD? I have both SKETCHES ON STANDARDS and PORTRAITS ON STANDARDS, which feature a # of Holman arrangemets. Bought the Capitol 1943-47 Mosaic when it was still available but somehow missed the boat on Holman-Russo...

To catch up with the Mosaic box, you need Contemporary Concepts and New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm, of course. But the box has some odds and ends that haven't been reissued yet.

luca