Stan Kenton Orchestra
Pianist Stan Kenton was not only one of the last great bandleaders to emerge during the big band era, he was also one of the most controversial, consistently going against the musical grain of the day. Although many jazz purists dismissed his work as an aberration of the popular swing bands of the day, the wrought emotional power of his bands with their strident walls of brass made others consider him a visionary, who changed perceptions of jazz.
Originally from Wichita, Kansas, he mostly grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Bell, and was taught piano in his teens by local musician Frank Hurst, drawing further inspiration from Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines. By his mid-teens he was already playing in local diners and leading his own group, the Bell-Tones. It led him to play with various local bands in Southern California, notably Everett Hoagland and, later, Gus Arnheim. He formed his own first big band in 1941 working as Bob Hope's radio backing band for a period, earning a contract with Capitol Records and his first successful record, 'Eager Beaver'. He went on to record for Capitol for the next 25 years.
At various times his orchestra included Art Pepper, Stan Getz and singers Anita O'Day and June Christy, resulting in hits like 'Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying', 'And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine', 'Tapioca' and 'Laura' the theme song from the movie of the same name. Calling his music progressive jazz, Kenton was intent on shifting away from the old dance big bands and created a concert orchestra using a barrage of trombonists to put his radical ideas into operation. To this end he assembled his controversial 39-piece Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra, involving strings, woodwind, French horns, Latin rhythms and classical influences and the 1953 album 'New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm' is considered one of his most significant works. 'Cuban Fire!' (1956), drawing heavily on Latin styles and the compositions of Johnny Richards, similarly brought him a new audience.
After a period of decline in the rock & roll era, Kenton re-launched his orchestra in 1960, introducing a mellophonium (a three-valved brass instrument pitched between trumpet and trombone) section which established a more symphonic style on the album 'The Romantic Approach', the first of eleven LPs utilising the sound. He continued to pursue his progressive jazz ideology through the 1960s, changing direction again in the '70s as he attempted to appeal to a younger market. He died in 1979 following a stroke.
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Discography
14 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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The Stuttgart Experience
Stan Kenton Orchestra, Chuck Carter, John Worster
Jazz - Released by SWR Jazzhaus on 1 Apr 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
KENTON, Stan: MacGregor Transcriptions, Vol. 4 (1944)
Stan Kenton, Gene Howard, Stan Kenton Orchestra, Anita O'Day
Jazz - Released by Naxos on 1 Jan 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stan Kenton Orchestra - KHJ Radio Broadcast Los Angeles 1943-1944.
Classical - Released by Smooth on 29 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Big Band x 4 = Swing (Mono Version)
Stan Kenton Orchestra, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
Jazz - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Essential Stan Kenton - 50 Classics
Jazz - Released by Ap music on 9 Sep 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
101 - The Ultimate Stan Kenton Collection
Jazz - Released by AP MUSIC LTD on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stan Kenton & His Orchestra Play West Side Story
Stan Kenton, Stan Kenton Orchestra
Film Soundtracks - Released by Nostalgia Music Catalog on 27 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Stompin' At Newport
Jazz - Released by Fantasy Records on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stan Kenton Orchestra - KHJ Radio Broadcast Los Angeles 1941-1942.
Classical - Released by Smooth on 29 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stan Kenton Orchestra - KHJ Radio Broadcast Los Angeles 1940-1941.
Classical - Released by Smooth on 29 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stan Kenton Orchestra - KHJ Radio Broadcast Los Angeles 1944-1945.
Classical - Released by Smooth on 29 Dec 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stan Kenton Orchestra - Jazz Of America Radio Broadcast 1948.
Jazz - Released by Jazz Club on 1 Oct 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tampico - Big Band Favourites
Traditional Jazz & New Orleans - Released by Ap Music Ltd on 13 Oct 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo