Artist Lounge: Stan Kenton & His Orchestra
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And what could be better if not superior in many ways than hearing the original playing his greatest hit. Stan Kenton and his orchestra transformed the big band world with adventurous scores and a dynamic stage presence that popularized avante garde big band music for years. Kenton and his band are heard here in a stellar performance of "Intermission Riff" taken from a stereo copy of an NBC Bandstand broadcast of 1958. That’s Stan Kenton doing the opening and closing comme... MORE
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A later piece from 1945 is “Intermission Riff,” based squarely on Gerald Wilson’s “Yard Dog Mazurka” originally recorded years earlier by the Jimmy Lunceford band. There is a rhythmic piano, bass and drum intro before the riff begins out of nowhere and proceeds to pervade the entire work with daring filigrees on brass. It builds and, in the case of all of Stan Kenton’s scores, swings majestically like an eagle in full flight.
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“Tampico” became a monster hit for the Stan Kenton orchestra in 1945. It’s catchy, having a vigorous band vocal which makes even the audience want to sing-a-long. Add to this the attractive vocals by the resident canary June Christy and you have what amounts to an irresistible and endearing performance from Stan Kenton of a song extolling the virtues of the tourist trade in Mexico–Tampico, to be exact!
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This flowing piece has a propulsive melody on saxes where the star of the show, Bud Shank on alto, plays a dry as dust solo against a hushed background. There is much brilliant writing for the brass as well, a feature of all of Stan’s bands. Once one hears “Dynaflow,” it will never leave your mind!
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Stan Kenton took big band jazz rapidly into the future by presenting music suited more for the concert hall than for the dance floor where big bands held court. Beginning in 1941, Kenton’s music was highly original with fervent fans proclaiming his genius to the world at large. Kenton’s music, like the man, could be insufferably pompous but yet there was the overall appeal the man and his music had on the American and world spirit. One way one knew that this was no ordinar... MORE
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One of the biggest hits of the Stan Kenton orchestra early on was “Eager Beaver” from 1943. It begins with a cheeky, anti-everything mode on brass before settling into a groove begun by the Kenton piano with humorous asides in sharply clipped brass interjections. Shifting harmonies slide gracefully into a fade-out to end all fade-outs. All the time, there is that quirky yet perky riff that pervades this catchy work.
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Stan Kenton was a true visionary. His zeal for exploring the limits of expression in music took the big bands out of the ballrooms and into the concert halls of the world. Kenton was also a highly skilled speaker and spoke with profound depth about this music he loved so intensely. “Home Journey” exemplifies these explorations. It begins with the lower voicing of the sax section before the piano comes in, then the entire band comes in with brief trumpet and tenor sax solos... MORE
