MOG

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 ordinary band was its theme song, “Artistry in Rhythm” composed by Stan Kenton in a style reminiscent of his favorite piano piece, Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C-sharp minor. In this 1943 performance, we can hear Kenton himself at the piano throughout the recording with surprisingly strange harmonies played on muted brass with a rapid, Stravinsky-esque insistence.