STAN KENTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1951-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1428 (2006) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This is volume nine in the Classics Stan Kenton chronology. It opens with the last recordings made by Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra, a gigantic ensemble that included quite a number of violins, violas and celli. These fascinating episodes were recorded on December 5 and 7 1951, using ultra-modern compositions by Bob Graettinger, who had earlier made his mark upon Kenton's band with something called "Thermopylae." Many consider "City of Glass" to be Graettinger's magnum opus; it certainly occupies its own plateau within the Kenton chronology and, for that matter, in all of modern music. Gloriously dissonant, wonderfully disorienting and beautifully bizarre, this three-movement work was realized in four sections owing to the temporal limitations of the 12" 78 rpm phonograph record. What makes this particular reissue all the more exciting is the fact that the exacting chronology shuffles the order of the movements; "Third Movement -- Reflections" was recorded (and is therefore heard) first; then comes "Second Movement -- Dance Before the Mirror," and finally the "First Movement" in two parts: "Entrance into the City" and "The Structures." Although this non-linear sequence technically fractures the plot of the piece, it actually works quite well and adds up to a splendid postmodern restructuring of an already convoluted artwork. Graettinger's dystopian film noir metropolis becomes a musicological non-orientable Möbius strip, reverberating with echoes from Arnold Schoenberg tempered by premonitions of Ornette Coleman's "Skies of America." Naturally, most United States citizens who heard this music were terrified and alienated. Kenton's next move was to chuck the string section and scale his band down to 20 pieces for his "New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm" project. Between January 21 and March 20 1952, Kenton recorded jazzier, more accessible-sounding music that went over okay with audiences interested in dancing and acting stylish. While "progressive" works such as "Modern Opus (Graettinger Moods)" would continue to surface from time to time, Kenton made stylistic concessions in order to remain solvent. In addition to a smoothly sentimental vocal by the band on "Tenderly," this compilation includes six performances by Jerri Winters, a singer who blatantly imitated Sarah Vaughan's every nuance. One of these numbers, simply titled "Yes," was composed by Viviane Greene and initially recorded by Mabel Scott; it is an uncommon example of R&B repertoire making its way into the Kenton discography. arwulf arwulf
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