Kenton in Hi Fi

Brilliant high fidelity recording heightens the excitement of this collection of driving tunes—great hits that have thrilled throngs of Kenton fans.

The Stan Kenton band was born during the ferment and upheaval of the war years, and promptly became a bone or contention among jazz partisans, who’d start debating the pro and cons of Kenton at the drop of a Roosevelt dime. These forums of the ‘40s, marked by the clash of adulation and invective, would storm up anywhere—at bandside, in furnished apartments, GI service clubs, or around the jukebox at Ye Olde College Malt Shoppe.

It soon became apparent that whatever people thought of Kenton’s music—whether they loved it or loathed it—it couldn’t be ignored, not even by Kenton himself. His periodic attempts at retirement, induced by the fierce operational headache of running a big band, have invariably been thwarted by the even stronger urge to make music in the Kenton way. Just what the Kenton style is, is rather hard to say because it won’t stay put long enough to be permanently defined. It is constantly in flux, always changing and expanding. By this time, an exciting library of new jazz creations has been added to the older favorites which first brought Kenton fame.

The “older favorites,” now regarded by aficionados in their thirties as vintage masterpieces, came as musical bombshells to these self-same ringsiders during the Kenton band’s debut at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, California, back in 1941. Several new batches of teen-agers have grown up with the music since then and, as is natural, they have their own ideas about what makes Stanley run.

This album of Stan Kenton in Hi-Fi highlights the sweep of that important segment of the Kenton saga during the fruitful post-war years. Stan’s own ideas drew nourishment and sympathetic stimulus from his collaboration with Pete Rugolo, whose arrangements left a lasting mark upon the band’s style. It was during this period that some of the biggest Kenton hits came into being. Now they’re recorded with an impact and immediacy that only a live performance could have provided a few years ago. This comprehensive program makes possible a fresh and vital reappraisal of Stan Kenton’s jazz, with all of the scope, subtlety and brilliance present and accounted for, thanks to this exciting stereophonic recording.


ARTISTRY JUMPS—A self -descriptive uptempo version of the Kenton theme, with Stan, Vido Musso and Don Bagley feeding it steam.

INTERLUDE—The familiar lyrical arrangement, with the Kenton piano work mightily backed by a chorus of trombones.

INTERMISSION RIFF—Cool, concentrated and frenetic, as always, an inspired elaboration or Ray Wetzel’s original head arrangement, featuring Stan’s piano, and Musso’s tenor sax.

MINOR RIFF—Masterminded by Kenton–Rugolo, this rockets into outer space in defiance or all known axioms of gravity and orthodox harmony. The Musso–Pete Candoli performances are among their greatest.

COLLABORATION—Slow, contemplative, yet intensely articulate—speaking for the entire period when Kenton–Rugolo collaborated. Milt Bernhart is showcased with a pensive and inspired solo. The majestic ending dramatically exhibits the new jazz sound.

PAINTED RHYTHM—Vido Musso comes on in this Kenton original with Milt Bernhart and Don Bagley authoritatively taking the trombone and bass chores.

SOUTHERN SCANDAL—This is an easygoing piece that illustrates the more delicate shadings of the broad Kenton spectrum. Carl Fontana moves skillfully into a solo spot, and Don Bagley’s bass is featured in a forceful, brilliant manner.

LOVER—This vivid Kenton arrangement set the furious pace for many later versions of the tune—once known exclusively as a waltz (if anyone can remember that far back). Stan and Vido Musso are spotlighted along with Milt Bernhart, who comes in with a dazzling trombone bit.

THE PEANUT VENDOR—There’ll always be a Peanut Vendor, and this latest model—expanded and ornamented—is a fine showcase for the Kenton crew’s musicianship and vitality. Kent L arson’s trombone is spotlighted.

EAGER BEAVER—This is the melodic, swinging style that rolled the Kenton sound, like a well-oiled Trojan Horse, into the Jukebox Kingdom. Vido Musso plays the tenor sax solo.

CONCERTO TO END All CONCERTOS—One of the most ambitious of all Kenton composition-arrangements, and, happily, one that comes off with spectacular success. Maynard Ferguson contributes the trumpet solo, Kenton adroitly handles the solo piano, Vido Musso’s tenor solos with great heart, and Lennie Niehaus displays a drive both fluid and brilliant.

ARTISTRY IN BOOGIE—Young Sum Noto blows a vest-busting trumpet solo in the dynamic going-over of this familiar Kenton tune. Vido Musso’s tranquil solo sets the scene for the arrival of the whole ensemble, which Milt Bernhart’s trombone play against in a delirious high-flying way.

UNISON RIFF—This durable Rugolo composition gets a forceful rendition by soloists Lennie Niehaus, Vinnie Tanno, Pete Candoli, and Milt Bernhart.