Stan Kenton
Encyclopedia
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was a pianist
, composer
, and arranger
who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American
jazz
orchestra
. In later years he was widely active as an educator.
, and raised first in Colorado
, then in California
. He learned piano
as a child, and while still a teenager toured with various bands. He attended Bell High School
, in Bell, California
, where he graduated in 1930. In June 1941 he formed his own band, which developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. In the mid-1940s, Kenton's band and style became known as "The Wall of Sound", a tag later used by Phil Spector
.
and Gus Arnheim
, but his natural inclination was as a band leader. In 1941 he formed his first orchestra, which later was named after his theme song "Artistry in Rhythm". A competent pianist, influenced by Earl Hines
, 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 Records
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 hits (including "Tampico
" and "Across the Alley From the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. A popular recording of "Laura
" was made, the theme song from the film Laura
(starring actress Gene Tierney
), and featured the voices of the band.
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
, Gene Roland
, Gerry Mulligan
, 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.
In the early 1970s Kenton split from his long-time association with Capitol Records
and formed his own label, "The Creative World of Stan Kenton". Recordings produced during the 1970s on this new label included several "live" concerts at various universities and are a testament to his devotion to education. In addition, Kenton made his charts available to college and high-school stage bands. When Kenton took to the road during the early 70's and up to his last tour, he took with him seasoned veteran musicians (Willie Maiden, Warren Gale, Graham Ellis and others) teaming them with relatively unknown young artists to mentor America's youth and take advantage of the unchecked energy in those young players while at the same time preserving the legacy of his work as an active art form. The magic for most of these players (the first female soloist, Mary Fettig just barely in her twenties) was being a part of an organization that while historically substantial was continuing to make an impact on the music scene. New Kenton arrangements (including those by Hank Levy, Bill Holman, Bob Curnow
, Willie Maiden and Ken Hanna) expanded the creative foundation that nurtured original musical exploration by these younger artists long after Gabe Baltazar's "graduation" in 1965. For many of these young players, touring with Kenton began as a highschool dream that once realized inspired them to new beginnings in other arenas. Many alumni became educators and itinerate clinicians caught up in the art of inspiring younger players (Mike Vax, The Baron Jon Von Ohlen, Chuck Carter, and Richard Torres). A few went on to take their musical careers to the next level (Peter Erskine
, Dick Shearer
) and beyond. Other's left the road knowing that they were leaving behind the best of their high school dreams but will carry with them the knowledge that for a few moments in time they were part of a musical force that made history, one that continues to keep progressive jazz alive even to this day.
Jack Sandmeier, Road Manager during these years, tells the story of an unusual meeting in a hotel lobby between Woody Herman
and Kenton. Unusual because they both toured more than fifty (50) weeks a year "one-nighters," in order to keep their respective bands on the road, they hardly ever met. In discussing a chronically late band member, Herman said to Kenton..."Fire his ass, there's thousands of them and only two of us."
He had a skull fracture from a fall in 1977 while on tour in Reading, PA. He entered Midway Hospital on August 17, 1979 after a stroke and later died.
reflected victories by black musicians in virtually every category. The Kenton band was playing in Ontario, Canada, at the time, and Kenton dispatched a telegram which lamented "a new minority, white jazz musicians," and stated his "disgust [with the so-called] literary geniuses of jazz." Jazz critic Leonard Feather
, alone of all the critics, responded in the October 3, 1956, issue with an open letter which questioned Kenton's racial views. Feather implied that Kenton's failure to win the Critics Poll was probably the real reason for the complaint, and wondered if racial prejudice was involved; however, accusations of prejudice, and particularly that Kenton had not hired enough African-American musicians over the years, have been proven patently false.
Many writers have heaped scorn on Feather over the years for his out-of-the-box statements. Fellow DownBeat critic Ralph J. Gleason
wrote that Feather's verdict was passed on Kenton "...without, unfortunately, any real forethought or public statement from the only musicians really in a position to know.” Jazz writer Jack McKinney points out that the night Kenton wrote the telegram, there were two African-Americans trombonists touring with him. Previous to Feather's letter, in the December 16, 1953, issue of Down Beat, critic Nat Hentoff
had written that ". . . Stan is as free from prejudice of any kind as any man I know."
Feather's allegation of prejudice ignored Kenton's well-known close friendships with Duke Ellington
and Count Basie
. In July to September, 1955, the year before Feather's letter, Kenton hosted the CBS summer replacement, Music 55, for which he invited Duke Ellington
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Lena Horne
, Louis Jordan
, Cab Calloway
, and many other African-American artists to participate. He toured with the Basie and his Orchestra in Fall, 1960, and released an album with the Nat King Cole
Trio in 1962.
McKinney wrote further, in 1965, that "All points [of the Feather letter] except the last were based on conjecture, and events preceding and following Feather's complaint have shown how ridiculous they were." He further pointed out that many budding African-American jazz musicians, such as Art Tatum
and Charlie Parker
, were given more exposure on Kenton-sponsored tours than elsewhere. One Kenton band member, trumpeter Donald Byrd
, in discussing Kenton's hands-on college and university music program, said, "My experience with the Stan Kenton clinic at the National Band Camp has left me in complete ecstasy ... The camp was interracial, both in the teaching faculty and the student body..."
Feather himself realized his error, and in August, 1960, apologized for the letter he then claimed was a "result of sorrow." Kenton later lamented of Feather's apology, "I think it was on the back page of the Pittsburg Inquirer." Kenton reportedly felt that Feather had created a great ill feeling toward him by African-American musicians, and no matter how apologetic Feather would be, much of that "prejudice-in-reverse" would remain.
His music has experienced a resurgence in interest, with later critical "rediscovery" of his music and many reissues of his recordings. An alumni band tours to this day, led by lead trumpeter Mike Vax
, which performs not only classic Kenton arrangements, but also new music written and performed in the Kenton style.
Kenton donated his entire library to the music department of North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas
), and the Stan Kenton Jazz Recital Hall is named in his honor. His arrangements are now published by Sierra Music Publications.
Kenton continued leading and touring with his big band up to his final performance in August 1978. He suffered a stroke in August 1979. Kenton did not recover and died on August 25, 1979. He was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles.
The complex machinations of Kenton's private life have recently been disclosed in the 2010 memoir "Love Affair", written by his daughter Leslie Kenton. She describes her experience of life within the Kenton family and discloses secrets, including the incestuous relationship she had with her talented and celebrated, yet self-doubting and frequently troubled, alcoholic father.
Composers and arrangers
Vocalists
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
. In later years he was widely active as an educator.
Early life
Stan Kenton was born in Wichita, KansasWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, and raised first in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, then in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He learned piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
as a child, and while still a teenager toured with various bands. He attended Bell High School
Bell High School (Bell, California)
Bell High School is a public high school in Bell, California, United States.The school, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of District 6 of the Los Angeles Unified School District....
, in Bell, California
Bell, California
Bell is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Its population was 35,477 at the 2010 census, down from 36,664 in the 2000 census. Bell is located on the west bank of the Los Angeles River and is a suburb of the city of Los Angeles...
, where he graduated in 1930. In June 1941 he formed his own band, which developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. In the mid-1940s, Kenton's band and style became known as "The Wall of Sound", a tag later used by Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
.
Career
Kenton played in the 1930s in the dance bands of Vido MussoVido Musso
Vido William Musso was an Italian-born jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist and bandleader born in Carini, Sicily, best-known for his many contributions to the big bands of Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Stan Kenton and Woody Herman.His family moved to the United States in...
and Gus Arnheim
Gus Arnheim
Gus Arnheim was an early popular band leader. He is noted for writing several songs with his first hit being "I Cried for You" from 1923. He was most popular in the 1920s and 1930s...
, but his natural inclination was as a band leader. In 1941 he formed his first orchestra, which later was named after his theme song "Artistry in Rhythm". A competent pianist, influenced by Earl Hines
Earl Hines
Earl Kenneth Hines, universally known as Earl "Fatha" Hines, was an American jazz pianist. Hines was one of the most influential figures in the development of modern jazz piano and, according to one source, is "one of a small number of pianists whose playing shaped the history of jazz".-Early...
, Kenton was much more important in the early days as an arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
and inspiration for his loyal sidemen. Although there were no major names in his first band (bassist Howard Rumsey
Howard Rumsey
Howard Rumsey is a Californian bassist primarily known for his leadership of the Los Angeles group the Lighthouse All-Stars in the 1950s.-Life:...
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
Jimmie Lunceford
James Melvin "Jimmie" Lunceford was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era.-Biography:...
(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 Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
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
Art Pepper
Art Pepper , born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr., was an American alto saxophonist and clarinetist.About Pepper, Scott Yanow of All Music stated, "In the 1950s he was one of the few altoists that was able to develop his own sound despite the dominant influence of Charlie Parker" and: "When Art Pepper...
, briefly Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
, altoist Boots Mussulli
Boots Mussulli
Boots Mussulli was an American jazz saxophonist, based chiefly out of Boston....
, and singer Anita O'Day
Anita O'Day
Anita O'Day was an American jazz singer.Born Anita Belle Colton, O'Day was admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appearances shattered the traditional image of the "girl singer"...
. By 1945 the band had evolved quite a bit. Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper
Bob Cooper (musician)
Bob Cooper was a West Coast jazz musician known primarily for playing tenor saxophone, but also for being one of the first to play solos on oboe. He worked in Stan Kenton's band starting in 1945 and married the band's singer June Christy...
and Vido Musso
Vido Musso
Vido William Musso was an Italian-born jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist and bandleader born in Carini, Sicily, best-known for his many contributions to the big bands of Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Stan Kenton and Woody Herman.His family moved to the United States in...
offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy
June Christy
June Christy , born Shirley Luster, was an American singer, known for her work in the cool jazz genre and for her silky smooth vocals. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued a solo career from 1954 and is best known for her debut album Something Cool...
was Kenton's new singer; her hits (including "Tampico
Tampico (song)
"Tampico" is a popular song, written in 1945 by Gene Roland and produced by Stan Kenton. The song gave June Christy a top-ten hit in 1945, peaking at #6 on the Billboard charts...
" and "Across the Alley From the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. A popular recording of "Laura
Laura (1945 song)
"Laura" is a 1945 popular song composed by David Raksin, with lyrics written by Johnny Mercer from the 1944 movie starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews. It has since become a jazz standard with over four hundred known recordings.Some of the best known versions are by Billy Eckstine, Charlie...
" was made, the theme song from the film Laura
Laura (1944 film)
Laura is a 1944 American film noir directed by Otto Preminger. It stars Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews and Clifton Webb. The screenplay by Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Elizabeth Reinhardt is based on the 1943 novel of the same title by Vera Caspary....
(starring actress Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...
), and featured the voices of the band.
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
Kai Winding
Kai Chresten Winding was a popular Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is well known for a successful collaboration with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson.-Biography:...
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
Jack Costanzo
Jack Costanzo is an American percussionist.-Biography:A composer, conductor and drummer, Costanzo is best known as a bongo player, and is nicknamed "Mr. Bongo"...
'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
Robert Graettinger
Robert Frederick Graettinger was an American composer, best known for his work with Stan Kenton.-Early life and work:...
to works that somehow swung despite the weight. Such major players as Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson
Maynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
(whose high-note acrobatics set new standards), Shorty Rogers
Shorty Rogers
Milton “Shorty” Rogers , born Milton Rajonsky in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, was one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played both the trumpet and flugelhorn, and was in demand for his skills as an arranger. Rogers worked first as a professional musician with Will Bradley and...
, Milt Bernhart
Milt Bernhart
Milt Bernhart was a West Coast jazz trombonist who worked with Stan Kenton, Frank Sinatra, and others...
, John Graas
John Graas
John Graas was an American jazz French horn player, composer, and arranger. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, Graas had a short but busy career on the West Coast, known primarily as one of the first and best French horn players in jazz.Graas had classical training, including attendance at the Tanglewood...
, Art Pepper
Art Pepper
Art Pepper , born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr., was an American alto saxophonist and clarinetist.About Pepper, Scott Yanow of All Music stated, "In the 1950s he was one of the few altoists that was able to develop his own sound despite the dominant influence of Charlie Parker" and: "When Art Pepper...
, Bud Shank
Bud Shank
Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank, Jr. was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and throughout the decade worked in various small jazz combos. He spent the 1960s as a first...
, Bob
Cooper
Bob Cooper (musician)
Bob Cooper was a West Coast jazz musician known primarily for playing tenor saxophone, but also for being one of the first to play solos on oboe. He worked in Stan Kenton's band starting in 1945 and married the band's singer June Christy...
, Laurindo Almeida
Laurindo Almeida
Laurindo Almeida was a Brazilian virtuoso guitaristand composer who made many recordings of enduring impact in classical, jazz and Latin genres...
, Shelly Manne
Shelly Manne
Shelly Manne , born Sheldon Manne in New York City, was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, swing, bebop, avant-garde jazz and fusion, as well as contributing...
, and June Christy
June Christy
June Christy , born Shirley Luster, was an American singer, known for her work in the cool jazz genre and for her silky smooth vocals. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued a solo career from 1954 and is best known for her debut album Something Cool...
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
Shorty Rogers
Milton “Shorty” Rogers , born Milton Rajonsky in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, was one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played both the trumpet and flugelhorn, and was in demand for his skills as an arranger. Rogers worked first as a professional musician with Will Bradley and...
, Gene Roland
Gene Roland
Gene M. Roland was a jazz composer and musician who played many instruments during his career but was most significant as an arranger/composer and for his association with Stan Kenton...
, Gerry Mulligan
Gerry Mulligan
Gerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
, Marty Paich
Marty Paich
Martin Louis "Marty" Paich was an American pianist, composer, arranger, producer, music director and conductor....
, Johnny Richards, and particularly Bill Holman
Bill Holman (musician)
Willis Leonard Holman , known also as Bill Holman, is an American composer/arranger, conductor, saxophonist, and songwriter working primarily in the jazz idiom....
and Bill Russo began to dominate the repertoire. Such talented players (in addition to the ones already named) as Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz
Lee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
, Conte Candoli
Conte Candoli
Secondo "Conte" Candoli was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show. He played with Gerry Mulligan, and on Frank Sinatra's TV specials...
, Sal Salvador
Sal Salvador
Sal Salvador was a bebop jazz guitarist and a prominent music educator.He was born in Monson, Massachusetts and began his professional career in New York City. He eventually moved to Stamford, Connecticut. He taught guitar at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut as well as at...
, Stan Levey
Stan Levey
Stan Levey was an American jazz drummer. Born in Philadelphia, Levey is considered one of the earliest bebop drummers, one of the very few white drummers involved in the formative years of bebop and accepted as one of bop's most important drummers, along with Kenny Clarke and Max Roach...
, Frank Rosolino
Frank Rosolino
Frank Rosolino was an American jazz trombonist.- Biography :Born in Detroit, Michigan, Frank Rosolino studied the guitar with his father from the age of 9. He took up the trombone at age 14 while he was enrolled at Miller High School where he played with Milt Jackson in the school's stage band and...
, Richie Kamuca
Richie Kamuca
Richie Kamuca , was an American jazz tenor saxophonist born in Philadelphia.-Musical career:Like many players associated with West Coast jazz, Kamuca grew up in the East before moving west around the time that bebop changed the prevailing style of jazz...
, Zoot Sims
Zoot Sims
John Haley "Zoot" Sims was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor and soprano.-Biography:He was born in Inglewood, California, the son of vaudeville performers Kate Haley and John Sims. Growing up in a performing family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age...
, Sam Noto
Sam Noto
Sam Noto is an American jazz trumpeter born in Buffalo, New York, perhaps best known for his work with Stan Kenton during the 1950s.-Select Discography:with Stan Kenton* "Kenton Showcae"...
, Bill Perkins
Bill Perkins (saxophonist)
Bill Perkins was a cool jazz saxophonist and flutist popular on the West Coast jazz scene, known primarily as a tenor saxophonist. Born in San Francisco, California, Perkins started out performing in the big bands of Woody Herman and Jerry Wald. He also worked for the Stan Kenton orchestra, which...
, Charlie Mariano
Charlie Mariano
Carmine Ugo Mariano was an American jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in Cologne, Germany.-Biography:Mariano was the son of Italian immigrants....
, Mel Lewis
Mel Lewis
Mel Lewis was an American drummer, jazz musician and band leader. He was born Melvin Sokoloff in Buffalo, New York to Russian immigrant parents....
, Pete Candoli
Pete Candoli
Pete Candoli was an American swing and West Coast jazz trumpeter. He played with the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and many others, and worked extensively in the studios of the recording and television industries...
, Lucky Thompson
Lucky Thompson
Eli "Lucky" Thompson was a United States jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist...
, Carl Fontana
Carl Fontana
Carl Charles Fontana was an American jazz trombonist. Because Fontana rarely recorded under his own name and toured only occasionally after 1958, he is significantly less famous among mainstream jazz fans, although well-known amongst trombonists.-Birth to 1958:Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Fontana...
, Pepper Adams
Pepper Adams
Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III was a jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 43 pieces, was the leader on twenty albums, and participated in 600 sessions as a sideman.-Biography:...
, and Jack Sheldon
Jack Sheldon
Jack Sheldon is an American bebop and West Coast jazz trumpeter, singer, and actor. He is a trumpet player and was a comedian on The Merv Griffin Show, as well as the voice heard on several episodes of the educational music television series Schoolhouse Rock.-Biography:Sheldon was born in...
made strong contributions. The music was never predictable and could get quite bombastic, but it managed to swing while still keeping the Kenton sound.
Later years
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; the albums "Adventures in Jazz" and "West Side Story" (arrangements by Johnny Richards) each won Grammy awards in 1962 and 1963. Kenton Plays Wagner (1964) was an important project, produced in concert with his interests in jazz education and encouraging big band music in high schools and colleges instructing what he called "progressive jazz." Stan knew what he had in the body of work that was The Stan Kenton Orchestra and in the remainder of his life and career, he took on the challenge of ensuring his legacy that was Progressive Jazz.In the early 1970s Kenton split from his long-time association with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
and formed his own label, "The Creative World of Stan Kenton". Recordings produced during the 1970s on this new label included several "live" concerts at various universities and are a testament to his devotion to education. In addition, Kenton made his charts available to college and high-school stage bands. When Kenton took to the road during the early 70's and up to his last tour, he took with him seasoned veteran musicians (Willie Maiden, Warren Gale, Graham Ellis and others) teaming them with relatively unknown young artists to mentor America's youth and take advantage of the unchecked energy in those young players while at the same time preserving the legacy of his work as an active art form. The magic for most of these players (the first female soloist, Mary Fettig just barely in her twenties) was being a part of an organization that while historically substantial was continuing to make an impact on the music scene. New Kenton arrangements (including those by Hank Levy, Bill Holman, Bob Curnow
Bob Curnow
Bob Curnow is an American musician who served as a trombonist, staff arranger and producer for the Stan Kenton Orchestra during the 1960's and 1970's. As a composer and arranger he has become well known for large ensemble jazz music set to contemporary fusion and rock music of groups such as...
, Willie Maiden and Ken Hanna) expanded the creative foundation that nurtured original musical exploration by these younger artists long after Gabe Baltazar's "graduation" in 1965. For many of these young players, touring with Kenton began as a highschool dream that once realized inspired them to new beginnings in other arenas. Many alumni became educators and itinerate clinicians caught up in the art of inspiring younger players (Mike Vax, The Baron Jon Von Ohlen, Chuck Carter, and Richard Torres). A few went on to take their musical careers to the next level (Peter Erskine
Peter Erskine
Peter Erskine is an American jazz drummer and composer. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a session drummer, recording and touring with many famous jazz and rock artists, including Steely Dan and Weather Report...
, Dick Shearer
Dick Shearer
Dick Shearer was an American jazz trombonist.He is most famous for his work as lead trombonist and music director for the Stan Kenton Orchestra, since taking over the lead chair from Jim Trimble in the late 1960s until Kenton's death in 1979. He led the band during Kenton's illnesses, and...
) and beyond. Other's left the road knowing that they were leaving behind the best of their high school dreams but will carry with them the knowledge that for a few moments in time they were part of a musical force that made history, one that continues to keep progressive jazz alive even to this day.
Jack Sandmeier, Road Manager during these years, tells the story of an unusual meeting in a hotel lobby between Woody Herman
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman , known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
and Kenton. Unusual because they both toured more than fifty (50) weeks a year "one-nighters," in order to keep their respective bands on the road, they hardly ever met. In discussing a chronically late band member, Herman said to Kenton..."Fire his ass, there's thousands of them and only two of us."
He had a skull fracture from a fall in 1977 while on tour in Reading, PA. He entered Midway Hospital on August 17, 1979 after a stroke and later died.
Criticism
In 1956, when the band returned from its European trip, the Critics Poll in Down BeatDown Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
reflected victories by black musicians in virtually every category. The Kenton band was playing in Ontario, Canada, at the time, and Kenton dispatched a telegram which lamented "a new minority, white jazz musicians," and stated his "disgust [with the so-called] literary geniuses of jazz." Jazz critic Leonard Feather
Leonard Feather
Leonard Geoffrey Feather was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer who was best known for his music journalism and other writing.-Biography:...
, alone of all the critics, responded in the October 3, 1956, issue with an open letter which questioned Kenton's racial views. Feather implied that Kenton's failure to win the Critics Poll was probably the real reason for the complaint, and wondered if racial prejudice was involved; however, accusations of prejudice, and particularly that Kenton had not hired enough African-American musicians over the years, have been proven patently false.
Many writers have heaped scorn on Feather over the years for his out-of-the-box statements. Fellow DownBeat critic Ralph J. Gleason
Ralph J. Gleason
Ralph Joseph Gleason was an influential American jazz and pop music critic. He contributed for many years to the San Francisco Chronicle, was a founding editor of Rolling Stone magazine, and cofounder of the Monterey Jazz Festival.-Biography:Gleason was born in New York City and attended Columbia...
wrote that Feather's verdict was passed on Kenton "...without, unfortunately, any real forethought or public statement from the only musicians really in a position to know.” Jazz writer Jack McKinney points out that the night Kenton wrote the telegram, there were two African-Americans trombonists touring with him. Previous to Feather's letter, in the December 16, 1953, issue of Down Beat, critic Nat Hentoff
Nat Hentoff
Nathan Irving "Nat" Hentoff is an American historian, novelist, jazz and country music critic, and syndicated columnist for United Media and writes regularly on jazz and country music for The Wall Street Journal....
had written that ". . . Stan is as free from prejudice of any kind as any man I know."
Feather's allegation of prejudice ignored Kenton's well-known close friendships with Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
and Count Basie
Count Basie
William "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
. In July to September, 1955, the year before Feather's letter, Kenton hosted the CBS summer replacement, Music 55, for which he invited Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Lena Horne
Lena Horne
Lena Mary Calhoun Horne was an American singer, actress, civil rights activist and dancer.Horne joined the chorus of the Cotton Club at the age of sixteen and became a nightclub performer before moving to Hollywood, where she had small parts in numerous movies, and more substantial parts in the...
, Louis Jordan
Louis Jordan
Louis Thomas Jordan was a pioneering American jazz, blues and rhythm & blues musician, songwriter and bandleader who enjoyed his greatest popularity from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. Known as "The King of the Jukebox", Jordan was highly popular with both black and white audiences in the...
, Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
, and many other African-American artists to participate. He toured with the Basie and his Orchestra in Fall, 1960, and released an album with the Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
Trio in 1962.
McKinney wrote further, in 1965, that "All points [of the Feather letter] except the last were based on conjecture, and events preceding and following Feather's complaint have shown how ridiculous they were." He further pointed out that many budding African-American jazz musicians, such as Art Tatum
Art Tatum
Arthur "Art" Tatum, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso who played with phenomenal facility despite being nearly blind.Tatum is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time...
and Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, were given more exposure on Kenton-sponsored tours than elsewhere. One Kenton band member, trumpeter Donald Byrd
Donald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd is best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a...
, in discussing Kenton's hands-on college and university music program, said, "My experience with the Stan Kenton clinic at the National Band Camp has left me in complete ecstasy ... The camp was interracial, both in the teaching faculty and the student body..."
Feather himself realized his error, and in August, 1960, apologized for the letter he then claimed was a "result of sorrow." Kenton later lamented of Feather's apology, "I think it was on the back page of the Pittsburg Inquirer." Kenton reportedly felt that Feather had created a great ill feeling toward him by African-American musicians, and no matter how apologetic Feather would be, much of that "prejudice-in-reverse" would remain.
Legacy
Kenton was a salient figure on the American musical scene and made an indelible mark on the arranged type of big band jazz. Kenton's music evolved with the times throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and although he was no longer considered a contemporary innovator, he promoted jazz and jazz improvisation through his service as an educator. The "Kenton Style" continues to permeate big bands at the high school and collegiate level, and the framework he designed for the "jazz clinic" is still widely in use today.His music has experienced a resurgence in interest, with later critical "rediscovery" of his music and many reissues of his recordings. An alumni band tours to this day, led by lead trumpeter Mike Vax
Mike Vax
Mike Vax is a jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and clinician. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he performs exclusively on Getzen trumpets, cornets, and flugelhorns and has the status of an International Artist for the Getzen Company. He has played lead and solo trumpet with the Stan...
, which performs not only classic Kenton arrangements, but also new music written and performed in the Kenton style.
Kenton donated his entire library to the music department of North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
), and the Stan Kenton Jazz Recital Hall is named in his honor. His arrangements are now published by Sierra Music Publications.
Kenton continued leading and touring with his big band up to his final performance in August 1978. He suffered a stroke in August 1979. Kenton did not recover and died on August 25, 1979. He was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles.
The complex machinations of Kenton's private life have recently been disclosed in the 2010 memoir "Love Affair", written by his daughter Leslie Kenton. She describes her experience of life within the Kenton family and discloses secrets, including the incestuous relationship she had with her talented and celebrated, yet self-doubting and frequently troubled, alcoholic father.
Noted band personnel
Instrumentalists- Pepper AdamsPepper AdamsPark Frederick "Pepper" Adams III was a jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 43 pieces, was the leader on twenty albums, and participated in 600 sessions as a sideman.-Biography:...
- Sam Aleccia
- Laurindo AlmeidaLaurindo AlmeidaLaurindo Almeida was a Brazilian virtuoso guitaristand composer who made many recordings of enduring impact in classical, jazz and Latin genres...
- Alfred "Chico" Alvarez
- Jim Amlotte
- Buddy ArnoldBuddy ArnoldArnold Buddy Grishaver, better known as Buddy Arnold , was an American jazz saxophonist....
- Don BagleyDon BagleyDonald Neff "Don" Bagley is an American jazz bassist.Bagley received formal training on the double bass. He studied in Los Angeles and played in 1945 with Shorty Sherock and Wingy Manone, and in 1948 with Dick Pierce. From 1950 to 1953 and sporadically thereafter, Bagley played with Stan Kenton;...
- Gabe BaltazarGabe BaltazarGabe Baltazar is a Filipino-American jazz alto saxophonist.Considered as one of the last great alumni from the Stan Kenton Orchestra, Baltazar moved to the U.S. mainland from Hawaii in the mid-1950s, to record music with Paul Togawa in 1957, and spent a brief unrecorded period in 1960 with the...
- Michael Bard
- Dave Barduhn
- Gary BaroneGary BaroneGary Barone was an American soccer player who earned one cap with the U.S. national team. He also spent two seasons in the North American Soccer League....
- Dee BartonDee BartonDee Barton was an American film score composer noted for his horror-esque style of composing in action thriller films...
- Tim Bell
- Milt BernhartMilt BernhartMilt Bernhart was a West Coast jazz trombonist who worked with Stan Kenton, Frank Sinatra, and others...
- Bud BrisboisBud BrisboisAustin Dean "Bud" Brisbois was a jazz and studio trumpet player. He played all styles, including big band lead, jazz soloing, pop, rock, country, Motown, and classical, but it was his high-note playing that set him apart...
- Ray BrownRaymond Harry BrownRaymond Harry Brown is an American composer, arranger, trumpet player, and jazz educator. He has performed as trumpet player and arranged music for Stan Kenton , Bill Watrous, Bill Berry, Frank Capp – Nat Pierce , and the Full Faith and Credit Big Band.Brown joined Kenton in September...
- Bob Burgess
- Tony CampiseTony CampiseTony Campise was an American jazz musician. He played saxophone and flute.Tony Campise was a native of Houston, Texas. Campise settled to Austin, Texas in 1984 after several years on the road with the Stan Kenton Orchestra . He performed in the jazz clubs on 6th Street, and also backed artists...
- Frank CappFrank CappFrank Capp is an American jazz drummer.Capp was born August 20, 1931 in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. He began playing with Stan Kenton starting in 1951 and remained with Kenton for some time. Later he joined Neal Hefti's group. He often accompanied Peggy Lee on some of her road dates and...
- Conte CandoliConte CandoliSecondo "Conte" Candoli was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show. He played with Gerry Mulligan, and on Frank Sinatra's TV specials...
- Pete CandoliPete CandoliPete Candoli was an American swing and West Coast jazz trumpeter. He played with the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and many others, and worked extensively in the studios of the recording and television industries...
- Fred Carter
- Billy Catalano
- Bill ChaseBill ChaseBill Chase was an American trumpet player and leader of the jazz-rock fusion band Chase.-Biography:...
- Buddy ChildersBuddy ChildersMarion "Buddy" Childers became famous in 1942 at the age of 16, when Stan Kenton hired him to be the lead trumpet in his band.As Childers later told Steve Voce:...
- Bob CooperBob Cooper (musician)Bob Cooper was a West Coast jazz musician known primarily for playing tenor saxophone, but also for being one of the first to play solos on oboe. He worked in Stan Kenton's band starting in 1945 and married the band's singer June Christy...
- Jack CostanzoJack CostanzoJack Costanzo is an American percussionist.-Biography:A composer, conductor and drummer, Costanzo is best known as a bongo player, and is nicknamed "Mr. Bongo"...
- Curtis CounceCurtis CounceCurtis Counce was an American hard bop and West Coast jazz double bassist. The fruit of his 1956 Contemporary Records studio collaboration with tenor saxophonist Harold Land, trumpeters Jack Sheldon and Gerald Wilson, pianist Carl Perkins and drummer Frank Butler was issued in 2007 on a double CD...
- Bob CurnowBob CurnowBob Curnow is an American musician who served as a trombonist, staff arranger and producer for the Stan Kenton Orchestra during the 1960's and 1970's. As a composer and arranger he has become well known for large ensemble jazz music set to contemporary fusion and rock music of groups such as...
- Vinnie Dean
- Jay Daversa
- Don Dennis
- Sam DonahueSam DonahueSam Donahue was an American swing music jazz tenor saxophonist, trumpeter and musical arranger. Born in Detroit, Michigan, he is probably best known for his work with Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Billy May, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, and many others.He is the father of guitarist Jerry...
- Peter ErskinePeter ErskinePeter Erskine is an American jazz drummer and composer. He has enjoyed a long and successful career as a session drummer, recording and touring with many famous jazz and rock artists, including Steely Dan and Weather Report...
- Maynard FergusonMaynard FergusonMaynard Ferguson was a Canadian jazz musician and bandleader. He came to prominence playing in Stan Kenton's orchestra, before forming his own band in 1957...
- Mary Fettig
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- Dr. William "Bill" Fritz
- Carl FontanaCarl FontanaCarl Charles Fontana was an American jazz trombonist. Because Fontana rarely recorded under his own name and toured only occasionally after 1958, he is significantly less famous among mainstream jazz fans, although well-known amongst trombonists.-Birth to 1958:Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Fontana...
- Stan GetzStan GetzStanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
- Bob Gioga
- John GraasJohn GraasJohn Graas was an American jazz French horn player, composer, and arranger. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, Graas had a short but busy career on the West Coast, known primarily as one of the first and best French horn players in jazz.Graas had classical training, including attendance at the Tanglewood...
- John Harner
- Dennis HayslettDennis HayslettDennis Hayslett is an American music educator, conductor, and performer, with a particular focus upon the Concert Band and Jazz idioms.-Career:...
- Skeets HerfurtSkeets HerfurtArthur "Skeets" Herfurt was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist....
- Bill HolmanBill Holman (musician)Willis Leonard Holman , known also as Bill Holman, is an American composer/arranger, conductor, saxophonist, and songwriter working primarily in the jazz idiom....
- Marv "Doc" Holladay
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- Richie KamucaRichie KamucaRichie Kamuca , was an American jazz tenor saxophonist born in Philadelphia.-Musical career:Like many players associated with West Coast jazz, Kamuca grew up in the East before moving west around the time that bebop changed the prevailing style of jazz...
- Red KellyRed KellyLeonard Patrick "Red" Kelly, CM is a retired Canadian ice hockey player in the NHL. He played on more Stanley Cup winning teams than any player who never played for the Montreal Canadiens, and is the only player to be part of two of the nine dynasties recognized by the NHL in its history...
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- Lee KonitzLee KonitzLee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
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- Vido MussoVido MussoVido William Musso was an Italian-born jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist and bandleader born in Carini, Sicily, best-known for his many contributions to the big bands of Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Stan Kenton and Woody Herman.His family moved to the United States in...
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- Lennie NiehausLennie NiehausLennie Niehaus is an American alto saxophonist, arranger, and composer on the West Coast jazz scene. He has played with the Stan Kenton big band, and various other jazz bands on the West Coast of the U.S. Niehaus has arranged and composed for motion pictures, including several produced by Clint...
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- Sam NotoSam NotoSam Noto is an American jazz trumpeter born in Buffalo, New York, perhaps best known for his work with Stan Kenton during the 1950s.-Select Discography:with Stan Kenton* "Kenton Showcae"...
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- Art PepperArt PepperArt Pepper , born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr., was an American alto saxophonist and clarinetist.About Pepper, Scott Yanow of All Music stated, "In the 1950s he was one of the few altoists that was able to develop his own sound despite the dominant influence of Charlie Parker" and: "When Art Pepper...
- Bill PerkinsBill Perkins (saxophonist)Bill Perkins was a cool jazz saxophonist and flutist popular on the West Coast jazz scene, known primarily as a tenor saxophonist. Born in San Francisco, California, Perkins started out performing in the big bands of Woody Herman and Jerry Wald. He also worked for the Stan Kenton orchestra, which...
- Al PorcinoAl PorcinoAl Porcino is an American jazz trumpeter.Porcino began playing professionally in 1943, playing in many big bands of the 1940s and 1950s, including those of Georgie Auld, Louis Prima, Jerry Wald, Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, and Chubby Jackson. He played with Woody Herman in 1946, 1949-1950, and again...
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- Shorty RogersShorty RogersMilton “Shorty” Rogers , born Milton Rajonsky in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, was one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played both the trumpet and flugelhorn, and was in demand for his skills as an arranger. Rogers worked first as a professional musician with Will Bradley and...
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- Sal SalvadorSal SalvadorSal Salvador was a bebop jazz guitarist and a prominent music educator.He was born in Monson, Massachusetts and began his professional career in New York City. He eventually moved to Stamford, Connecticut. He taught guitar at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut as well as at...
- Carl SaundersCarl SaundersCarl Saunders, born , is a jazz trumpeter, composer and educator who worked with Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Bill Holman and Clare Fischer. Trombone player Carl Fontana once called Saunders "the best trumpet player you've never heard."- Origins :...
- Jay SaundersJay SaundersJay Saunders born 29 June 1944, is a trumpeter and music educator at the collegiate level. He is most known for being a lead trumpeter with big bands — including the Stan Kenton Orchestra — and a recording studio musician in the Dallas area...
- Dave SchildkrautDave SchildkrautDave Schildkraut was an American jazz alto saxophonist.Schildkraut first played professionally with Louis Prima in 1941...
- Bud ShankBud ShankClifford Everett "Bud" Shank, Jr. was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and throughout the decade worked in various small jazz combos. He spent the 1960s as a first...
- Dick ShearerDick ShearerDick Shearer was an American jazz trombonist.He is most famous for his work as lead trombonist and music director for the Stan Kenton Orchestra, since taking over the lead chair from Jim Trimble in the late 1960s until Kenton's death in 1979. He led the band during Kenton's illnesses, and...
- Jack SheldonJack SheldonJack Sheldon is an American bebop and West Coast jazz trumpeter, singer, and actor. He is a trumpet player and was a comedian on The Merv Griffin Show, as well as the voice heard on several episodes of the educational music television series Schoolhouse Rock.-Biography:Sheldon was born in...
- Kenny Shroyer
- Gene Siegel
- Zoot SimsZoot SimsJohn Haley "Zoot" Sims was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor and soprano.-Biography:He was born in Inglewood, California, the son of vaudeville performers Kate Haley and John Sims. Growing up in a performing family, Sims learned to play both drums and clarinet at an early age...
- Dalton Smith
- Ed SophEd SophEdward "Ed" Soph is an American jazz drummer and educator.Soph was raised in Houston, Texas. He enrolled at North Texas State University in 1963 as a music major, but switched his concentration to English during his sophomore year...
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- Marvin StammMarvin StammMarvin Stamm is an American bebop trumpeter.Stamm began on trumpet at age 12. He first attended college at, then known as, Memphis State University and then attended college at North Texas State University where he was a member of the world renowned One O'Clock Lab Band...
- Ray Starling
- Vinnie Tano
- Lucky ThompsonLucky ThompsonEli "Lucky" Thompson was a United States jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist...
- Richard Torres
- Bill Trujillo
- Jeff Uusitalo
- David van KriedtDavid van KriedtDavid van Kriedt was a composer, saxophonist and music teacher....
- Bart Varsalona
- Mike VaxMike VaxMike Vax is a jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and clinician. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he performs exclusively on Getzen trumpets, cornets, and flugelhorns and has the status of an International Artist for the Getzen Company. He has played lead and solo trumpet with the Stan...
- John Von Ohlen
- Ray WetzelRay WetzelRay Wetzel was an American jazz trumpeter. Critic Scott Yanow described him as "greatly admired by his fellow trumpeters"....
- Rick Weathersby
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- Kai WindingKai WindingKai Chresten Winding was a popular Danish-born American trombonist and jazz composer. He is well known for a successful collaboration with fellow trombonist J. J. Johnson.-Biography:...
Composers and arrangers
- Manny AlbamManny AlbamManny Albam was a jazz baritone saxophone player who eventually put the instrument down in favour of a long and respected career as an arranger, writer, and teacher.-Biography:The son of Lithuanian immigrants, who was born in the Dominican Republic when his mother went into labour en route...
- Dave Barduhn
- Dee BartonDee BartonDee Barton was an American film score composer noted for his horror-esque style of composing in action thriller films...
- Ralph CarmichaelRalph CarmichaelRalph Carmichael is a composer and arranger of both secular pop music and contemporary Christian music, being regarded as one of the pioneers of the latter genre...
- Joe Coccia
- Bob CurnowBob CurnowBob Curnow is an American musician who served as a trombonist, staff arranger and producer for the Stan Kenton Orchestra during the 1960's and 1970's. As a composer and arranger he has become well known for large ensemble jazz music set to contemporary fusion and rock music of groups such as...
- Dennis Farnon
- Bob Graettinger
- Ken HannaKen HannaKenneth L. Hanna was an American jazz trumpeter, arranger, composer and bandleader best known for his work with Stan Kenton. Hanna played in the trumpet section of the Stan Kenton Orchestra in the early 1940s and arranged many of Kenton's significant charts.-References:*Eugene Chadbourne, ,...
- Neal HeftiNeal HeftiNeal Hefti was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, tune writer, and arranger. He was perhaps best known for composing the theme music for the Batman television series of the 1960s, and for scoring the 1968 film The Odd Couple and the subsequent TV series of the same name.He began arranging...
- Bill HolmanBill Holman (musician)Willis Leonard Holman , known also as Bill Holman, is an American composer/arranger, conductor, saxophonist, and songwriter working primarily in the jazz idiom....
- Hank LevyHank LevyHank Levy was an American jazz composer and saxophonist whose works often employed unusual time signatures...
- Willie MaidenWillie MaidenWilliam Ralph "Willie" Maiden was an American jazz saxophonist and arranger.Maiden began on piano at age five and started playing saxophone at 11. He spent most of his career playing in big bands, and while he recorded as a sideman, he never led his own session. He worked with Perez Prado in 1950...
- Franklyn Marks
- W. A. MathieuW. A. MathieuWilliam Allaudin Mathieu is a composer, pianist, choir director, music teacher, and author. He studied with William Russo and Easley Blackwood, with North Indian vocalist Pandit Pran Nath for 25 years, and collaborated with Nubian master musician Hamza El Din Hamza El Din.In the 1960s, he spent...
(Bill) - Gerry MulliganGerry MulliganGerald Joseph "Gerry" Mulligan was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though Mulligan is primarily known as one of the leading baritone saxophonists in jazz history – playing the instrument with a light and airy tone in the era of cool jazz – he was also...
- Lennie NiehausLennie NiehausLennie Niehaus is an American alto saxophonist, arranger, and composer on the West Coast jazz scene. He has played with the Stan Kenton big band, and various other jazz bands on the West Coast of the U.S. Niehaus has arranged and composed for motion pictures, including several produced by Clint...
- Chico O'FarrillChico O'FarrillArturo "Chico" O'Farrill was a composer-arranger best known for his work in the Latin idiom, although he also composed straight-ahead jazz pieces and even symphonic works....
- Marty PaichMarty PaichMartin Louis "Marty" Paich was an American pianist, composer, arranger, producer, music director and conductor....
- Johnny Richards
- Pete RugoloPete RugoloPietro "Pete" Rugolo was an Italian-born jazz composer and arranger.-Life and career:Rugolo was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily, Italy. His family emigrated to the United States in 1920 and settled in Santa Rosa, California...
- Bill Russo
Vocalists
- Anita O'DayAnita O'DayAnita O'Day was an American jazz singer.Born Anita Belle Colton, O'Day was admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appearances shattered the traditional image of the "girl singer"...
- June ChristyJune ChristyJune Christy , born Shirley Luster, was an American singer, known for her work in the cool jazz genre and for her silky smooth vocals. Her success as a singer began with The Stan Kenton Orchestra. She pursued a solo career from 1954 and is best known for her debut album Something Cool...
- Chris ConnorChris ConnorChris Connor was an American jazz singer.-Biography:She was born as Mary Loutsenhizer in Kansas City, Missouri to Clyde and Mabel Loutsenhizer. She studied and became proficient on the clarinet, having studied for 8 years throughout junior high and high school...
- Jean Turner
- Jerri WintersJerri WintersJerri Winters is an American jazz singer. She worked with Stan Kenton's orchestra from March to early May 1952, recording several songs including "Adios", "All Because of You" and "She's a Comely Wench"...
- Ann RichardsAnn Richards (singer)Ann Richards was an American jazz singer. She was born Margaret Ann Borden on October 1, 1935 in San Diego, California. Richards, who began taking singing lessons at ten and was self-taught on the piano, appeared on the West Coast music scene in 1954...
Discography
Studio albums
- Stan Kenton And His Orchestra - McGregor #LP201 (1941)
- The Formative Years - Decca #589 489-2 (1941–1942)
- Stan Kenton Encores - Capitol #155 (various early years)
- Stan Kenton's Artistry In Rhythm - Capitol #167 ('45-'48)
- Opus In Pastels - Jazz Roots (1945–1952)
- A Presentation Of Progressive Jazz - Capitol #T172 (1947)
- Innovations In Modern Music - Capitol #189 (1-30-1950)
- Stan Kenton's Milesones - Capitol #T190 (thru 1950)
- Stan Kenton Presents - Capitol #248 (1950)
- City Of Glass (Stan Kenton recording) - Capitol #H353 (1951)
- Stan Kenton Classics - Capitol #358 (various years)
- New Concepts of Artistry in RhythmNew Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm-Track listing:-Commentary:Fresh from the commercial failure of his Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra, Kenton returned to the studio and the road with a new jazz band, featuring some of the top-flight west coast players he had come to know since his last jazz band broke up in 1950...
- Capitol 383 (1952) - Stan Kenton's Greatest Hits (orig.recordings) - Capitol #398 (1943–1951)
- Sketches On Standards- Capitol #426 (1953)
- This Modern World- Capitol #460 (1953)
- Portraits On Standards - Capitol #462 (1953)
- Kenton Showcase: The Music of Bill Holman And Bill Russo - Capitol #W524 (1954)
- The Kenton Era - Capitol #WDX569 (1940–1953)
- Duet (June Christy) - Capitol #656 (1955)
- Contemporary Concepts - Capitol #666 (1955)
- Kenton In HI-FI - Capitol #724 (1956)
- Cuban Fire!Cuban Fire!Cuban Fire! is an album recorded by Stan Kenton and his orchestra in 1956. This has become one of the most influential Latin jazz, large ensemble recordings of all time; it was a first for the Kenton big band in terms of popularity, style, and overall album theme...
- Capitol #731 (1956) - City Of Glass And This Modern World - Capitol #736 (various years)
- With Voices - Capitol #810 (1957)
- Rendezvous With Kenton - Capitol #932 (1957)
- Back To Balboa - Capitol #995 (1958)
- The Ballad Style Of Stan Kenton - Capitol #1068 (1958)
- Lush Interlude - Capitol #1130 (1958)
- The Stage Door Swings - Capitol #1166 (1958)
- The Kenton Touch - Capitol #1276 (1958)
- Viva KentonViva KentonViva Kenton is an album by Stan Kenton, released in 1959 by Capitol Records, and later on Kenton's own Creative World label.The album features compositions by Gene Roland, and was Kenton's second all-Latin album. It was the followup to Kenton's successful Cuban Fire! LP of 1956.Viva Kenton features...
- Capitol #1305 (1959) - Standards In SilhouetteStandards in SilhouetteStandards In Silhouette is an album recorded in September 1959 by Stan Kenton and his orchestra. The entire set of arrangements for the LP were written by Bill Mathieu...
- Capitol #1394 (1959) - Too Much (with Ann Richards) - Capitol #1495 (1960)
- Sophisticated Approach - Capitol #1674 (1961)
- The Romantic Approach - Capitol #1533 (1961)
- A Merry Christmas - Capitol #1621 (1961)
- West Side Story - Capitol #1609 (1961)
- Adventures In Blues - Capitol #1985 (1961)
- Adventures In Jazz - Capitol #1796 (1961)
- Adventures In Standards - (1961)
- Stan Kenton Plays 18 Original Big-Band Recordings - Hindsight #HCD=407
- Mellophonium Magic - Status #CD103 (1962)
- Mellophonium Moods - Status #STCD106 (1962)
- Adventures In Time - Capitol #1844 (1962)
- Stan Kenton - Tex Ritter - Capitol #1757 (1962)
- Artistry In Bossa Nova - Capitol #1931 (1963)
- Kenton/Turner - Capitol #2051 (1963)
- Artistry In Voices And Brass - Capitol #2132 (1963)
- Kenton/Wagner - Capitol #2217 (1964)
- Stan Kenton Conducts The Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra - Capitol #2424 (1965-1966)
- Stan Kenton Plays For Today - Capitol #2655 (1966-1967)
- The World We Know - Capitol #2810
- The Jazz Compositions Of Dee Barton - Capitol #2932 (1967)
- Hair - Capitol #ST305 (1968)
- Finian's Rainbow - Capitol #2971 (1968)
- Today: Recorded Live In London - London #B944179-80 (1972)
- National Anthems Of The World - Creative World #1060
- Birthday In Britain - Creative World #1065 (1973)
- 7.5 On The Richter Scale - Creative World #1070 (1973)
- Kenton Plays Chicago - Creative World #1072 (1974)
- Fire, Fury and Fun - Creative World #1073 (1974)
- Kenton '76 - Creative World #1076 (1976)
- Journey Into Capricorn - Creative World #1077 (1976)
- Some Women I've Known - Creative World #1029
- Stan Kenton Without His Orchestra (solo) - Creative World #1071
- Street Of Dreams - Creative World #1079
Live albums
- Stan Kenton Stompin' At Newport - Pablo #PACD-5312-2 (1957)
- Road Show, Stan Kenton, June Christy, The Four Freshmen - Capitol #TBO1327 (1959)
- Kenton Live From The Las Vegas Tropicana - Capitol #1460 (1959)
- Stan Kenton at Ukiah - Status #STCD109 (1959)
- Stan Kenton In New Jersey - Status #USCD104 (1959)
- Live at Redlands University (1970)
- Live at Brigham Young (1971)
- Stan Kenton Today - Live In London - London/Creative World #BP 44179-80 (1972)
- Live at Butler University (1973)
- Live in Europe (1976)
Compilations
- The Kenton Era - Capitol #WDX569 (1940–1953)
- Stan Kenton On AFRS - Status DSTS1019 (1944-1945)
- One Night Stand - Magic #DAWE66 (1961–1962)
- The Complete Capitol Recordings Of The Holman And Russo Charts (Mosaic)
- The Complete Capitol Recordings (Mosaic)
- The Peanut Vendor
- The Jazz Compositions Of Stan Kenton - Creative World #ST1078 (1945–1973)
Compositions
Stan Kenton's compositions included "Artistry in Rhythm", "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine", "Dynaflow" with Art PepperArt Pepper
Art Pepper , born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr., was an American alto saxophonist and clarinetist.About Pepper, Scott Yanow of All Music stated, "In the 1950s he was one of the few altoists that was able to develop his own sound despite the dominant influence of Charlie Parker" and: "When Art Pepper...
, "Machito", "Collaboration", "Journey to Btazil", and "Introduction to a Latin Rhythm" with Pete Rugolo
Pete Rugolo
Pietro "Pete" Rugolo was an Italian-born jazz composer and arranger.-Life and career:Rugolo was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily, Italy. His family emigrated to the United States in 1920 and settled in Santa Rosa, California...
, "Opus in Pastels", "Artistry Jumps", "Reed Rapture", "Eager Beaver", "Artistry in Boogie", "Fantasy", "Rhythm Incorporated", "Southern Scandal", "Monotony", "Abstraction", "Harlem Holiday", "Painted Rhythm", "Minor Riff", "Concerto to End All Concertos", "A Theme to the West", "Elegy For Alto", "Early Hours (Lady Luck)", and "Sunset Tower".
External links
- Bell High School Alumni Page for Stan Kenton
- Article on Stan Kenton's Mellophonium Band
- An Interview with Jo Lea Starling, wife of Ray Starling
- An Interview with Tony Scodwell, Stan Kenton Mellophoniumist
- The Stan Kenton Collection at the University of North TexasUniversity of North TexasThe University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
- Stan Kenton's music published by Sierra Music Publications