STAN KENTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1185 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

There is a gap in the Stan Kenton chronology. It begins with the ellipsis caused by the second commercial recording ban mandated by the American Federation of Musicians, which was in effect throughout most of 1948. Unable to continue making studio recordings, Kenton toured with his mammoth orchestra until he wore himself down and disbanded on December 14, only days before AFM president James C. Petrillo lifted the ban. Kenton apparently needed a break; it wasn't until February 1950 that he resumed making records for Capitol. Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra consisted of 37 players; he was now straddling a 23-piece big band plus strings. The sessions that took place in Los Angeles on February 3, 4, and 5 1950 resulted in some of Kenton's most theatrical and dramatically charged recordings; more than half of them were issued on 12" 78 rpm platters, which allowed for extended durations of between four and five minutes. Pete Rugolo's suspenseful tone poem titled "Conflict" is one of the weirdest. Scored almost as if intended for a Hollywood sci-fi movie and using elements that seem to lead directly back to Anton Webern's Opus 6, "Conflict" combines oozing, queasy tonalities with unsettling percussion, sudden blasts from startled trumpets, and an eerie wordless vocal by June Christy. Kenton also continued to experiment with Latin American-flavored jazz; Neal Hefti's "In Veradero" and Laurindo Almeida's "Mardi Gras," which tap into Brazilian traditions, feature ensemble vocals generated by members of the band and their families. With players like Art Pepper, Bud Shank and Shorty Rogers on board, 1950 turns out to be one of the better installments in the Classics Stan Kenton chronology. arwulf arwulf  
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STAN KENTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA – 1950-1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1255 (2002) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Illness, exhaustion and a national recording ban imposed by executives heading the American Federation of Musicians forced Stan Kenton to disband and withdraw from the music scene in December 1948. The hiatus lasted until February 1950, when he resumed making records for the Capitol label (see Classics 1185, Stan Kenton & His Orchestra 1950). Classics 1255, 1950-1951, which is the seventh volume in the Classics Kenton chronology, contains all of the recordings he made with his big band between May 18 1950 and March 20 1951. By and large, Kenton's music sounded better than ever during this period. His 37-piece Innovations Orchestra, which nearly bankrupted him when he took it on a national tour that set him back something like two hundred grand, performed attention-getting music using ambitiously conceived "progressive" arrangements. Kenton shared composing and arranging duties with Laurindo Almeida, Shorty Rogers and the ever-imaginative Pete Rugolo. In addition to dynamic studies focusing upon the brass and string sections, as well as the cello department in particular, a series of pieces were created as portraits of bandmembers June Christy, Art Pepper, Maynard Ferguson and Shelly Manne. Two tracks cut on August 16 1950 feature pianist and vocalist Nat King Cole, who maintained his composure amid blasts from the brass and shouts from the band during "Orange Colored Sky" -- note that the vocal routine used by the band is a precise word-for-word imitation of the famously rowdy version by that "Incendiary Blonde" Betty Hutton. Kenton bowed to convention by employing a resonant crooner and Billy Eckstine impersonator by the name of Jay Johnson; there is also a wistful band vocal on "September Song." Kenton continued to employ Latin American percussionists to spice up his Caribbean-style arrangements; Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" works very nicely under the influence of Miguel Ramon Rivera's conga drumming. Lest anyone should complain that this band didn't play enough melodies that could be whistled or hummed, Kenton's old chum Vido Musso's tenor sax was featured on the familiar "Santa Lucia" and a dramatic rendering of "Vesti la Giubba," the famous aria from Ruggero Leoncavallo's opera Pagliacci. After capping all of this with the delightful "Artistry in Tango" and savoring Bud Shank's graceful solo on Pete Rugolo's "Theme for Alto," one can begin to understand how and why Kenton's early-'50s band enjoyed increasing popularity in its day. Much of what he'd recorded during the previous decade pales by comparison. arwulf arwulf  
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STAN KENTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA - 1951 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1292 (2003) FLAC (tracks), lossless

The Classics chronological volume 1951 includes the last recordings from Stan Kenton's Innovations Orchestra, which he dissolved by the end of the year. (Carrying a band of 40 pieces on cross-country tours came to a fantastic expense, and the band's heady charts prevented it from becoming a moneymaker). From a late March session, "Dynaflow" became one of the Kenton band's finest charts, though the flip side (a humorous Mexican novelty called "Tortillas and Beans") doesn't wear as well, despite some excellent work from the brass. The next session, from May, brought two bizarre sides: a trad version of "Laura," with the whole band delivering a stoic chorus vocal, and a boogie version of "Stardust" that worked slightly better. "Coop's Solo," for tenor Bob Cooper, is one of the most famous numbers associated with the Innovations Orchestra, and a six-song standards date from September included several excellent features for singer June Christy ("Easy Street," "Come Rain or Come Shine"). Roughly half-a-dozen titles make their CD debut (apart from Mosaic's unapproachable The Complete Capitol Recordings of Stan Kenton), and didn't even appear on Capitol's two-disc Innovations Orchestra set. John Bush  
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STAN KENTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA - 1952-1953 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1461 (2008) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Volume 10 in the complete works of Stan Kenton as presented in the Classics chronological series opens with more of Kenton's progressive modern jazz recorded in March 1952. Gene Roland's "Beehive" is a well-constructed and smoothly executed piece of work, well among the grooviest tracks in the entire early Kenton discography. Robert Graettinger's "A Cello," on the other hand, uses strings and woodwinds (including a bassoon) to conjure a pleasantly dissonant, five-minute chamber episode that suggests the influence of Arnold Schoenberg or Ernst Krenek. Tracks 3 through 17 represent a reissue of Kenton's New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm album recorded in September 1952 and released shortly afterwards on the Capitol label. Bill Russo's "Prologue," which is presented here in four parts, is Kenton's attempt to claim dominance over the art of improvisation, almost as if nobody had thought of it before him. His boastful narration outlines the program in these words: "The character of the music to follow is the result of their understanding and adjustment to each other. Some of the music is written, some is improvised. There are times when a musician will express his individuality, and other moments when he will melt with the rest to create an organized sound. This is a cross-section view of this orchestra." It is supremely ironic that Kenton was making a record like this for Capitol only three years after Lennie Tristano had encountered uncomprehending and cynical resistance when he attempted to make records for that label using the principles later outlined so authoritatively by Kenton. With Tristano at that session in early 1949 was alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, and it is quite possible that Konitz actually imparted some of Tristano's teachings through Russo to Kenton, who in turn presented them to the public as more of his New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm. When Tristano tried it at Capitol, the engineers went so far as to erase some of his work. By September of 1952, the same concept was taken seriously by the people at Capitol because it was being advanced by Kenton, who clearly relished talking it up. Several additional Russo compositions were designed for soloists in the band at that time: "Frank Speaking" spot lights trombonist Frank Rosolino, "Portrait of a Count" features trumpeter Conte Condoli, and Konitz's delivery on "My Lady" is one of the high points of the entire album. Other original compositions are by Gerry Mulligan ("Young Blood" and "Swing House") and Bill Holman, whose "Invention for Guitar and Trumpet" showcases Sal Salvador and Maynard Ferguson. Kenton's band at this point also included saxophonists Richie Kamuca and Bud Shank, as well as vocalist Kay Brown. This segment of the Kenton chronology closes with half a dozen beautifully interpreted standards dating from January 1953. The next phase of his odyssey would find the orchestra embarking on a European tour, during which the band was well received and more excellent recordings were made. arwulf arwulf