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Stan Kenton Orchestra / BYU Synthesis Big Band: A Kenton Celebration
Stan Kenton
piano1911 - 1979
Late 1958 and early 1959 was indeed a busy time for the ever-touring Kenton Orchestra. The concert at BYU was only five days removed from its having recorded Live from the Las Vegas Tropicana and less than four months away from two of Kenton's more memorable in-concert albums, Road Band! and Live at Keesler Air Force Base, recorded in October and November '58. As might be expected, there is some overlap, with several of the charts from those earlier albums restated here, albeit with fresh solos and varying intensity. The orchestra opens with
Bill Holman
composer / conductor- 2024
Marty Paich
composer / conductor1925 - 1995
The concert at BYU does not encompass the whole of Disc 1, as it includes a pair of songs ("This Is Always," "Frenesi") taped four months later at the Red Hill Inn in Pennsauken, NJ. Even though the personnel remains essentially unchanged from BYU and the earlier albums already named, drummer Jerry McKenzie was replaced on the Jersey date by Jerry (Lestock) McKenzie (or Jerry McKenzie II, as he is sometimes called) and bassist
Red Kelly
bassb.1927
Carson Smith
bassb.1931
Charlie Mariano
saxophone, alto1923 - 2009
Jack Nimitz
saxophone, baritone1930 - 2009
Lennie Niehaus
saxophone, alto1929 - 2020
Richie Kamuca
saxophone, tenor1930 - 1977
Billy Root
saxophone, baritoneb.1934
Back at BYU,
Pete Rugolo
composer / conductor1915 - 2011
Gene Roland
b.1921
Jack Sheldon
trumpet1931 - 2019
Bill Trujillo
b.1930On Disc 2, the BYU ensemble from 2014-15 deftly weaves its way through fifteen regrettably unsung Kenton-related themes, with five more reprised by its successor from 2015-16. The recordings were made at De Jong Concert Hall in the Harris Fine Arts Center, the same venue that produced Live at Brigham Young University. Rugolo figures prominently as composer of seven selections and arranger of an even dozen. Robert Graettinger, best known for his convention-shattering "City of Glass," arranged the standards "September Song," "Laura" and "April in Paris" and composed and arranged the not-at-all radical "Molshoaro." "Sahara" was written and arranged by
Neal Hefti
trumpet1922 - 2008
Director Ray Smith had his undergrads primed and ready for the Kenton salute, and it's clear that a fair amount of rehearsal time must have preceded their visit to the studio. The Kenton sound and temperament are diligently recreated, giving rise to an inescapable impression that "this is surely how Stan might have played them." Soloists have found a congenial groove as well, and several excel on their feature numbers: tenor saxophonists Kevin Miller ("Opus a la Kenton") and Derek Crane ("The Firebird Jumps"), alto Justin Hammer (Rugolo's "Pepper Pot," presumably written for
Art Pepper
saxophone, alto1925 - 1982
So historic is this Kenton Celebration that each component has its own Kenton scholar writing liner notes: Michael Sparke (Disc 1) and
Terry Vosbein
composer / conductorb.1957
Track Listing
Disc 1 – Theme and Variations; Kingfish; My Old Flame; The Big Chase; Interlude; Love for Sale; Intermission Riff; This Is Always; The Peanut Vendor; Stella by Starlight; It’s All Right with Me; Frenesi; Artistry in Rhythm; Stan’s Closing Remarks. Disc 2 – You Go to My Head; Opus a la Kenton; Pepper Pot; You Brought a New Kind of Love to Me; June’s Bop; Hollywood Turmoil; Song for Trombone; Riffin’ Around; Opus 69; Blue Moon; September Song; Laura; April in Paris; Molshoaro; Weird Dreams; If I Had You; The Firebird Jumps; I’ll Never Be the Same; Sahara; Temptation.
Personnel
Disc 1: The Stan Kenton Orchestra: Brigham Young University, February 7, 1959 – Stan Kenton: leader, piano; Frank Huggins: trumpet; Bud Brisbois: trumpet; Jack Sheldon: trumpet; Joe Burnett: trumpet; Roger Middleton: trumpet; Lennie Niehaus: alto sax; Bill Trujillo: tenor sax; Richie Kamuca: tenor sax; Billy Root: baritone sax; Sture Swenson: baritone sax; Archie LeCoque: trombone; Kent Larsen: trombone; Jim Amlotte: trombone; Bob Olson: bass trombone; Bill Smiley: bass trombone; Red Kelly: bass; Jerry McKenzie: drums. Red Hill Inn, Pennsauken, NJ, June 11-12, 1959 (tracks 8, 12) – Charlie Mariano: alto sax, replaces Niehaus; John Bonnie: tenor sax, replaces Kamuca; Billy Root: baritone sax; Jack Nimitz: baritone sax (Olson, Swenson out); Jim Amlotte: bass trombone; Bobby Knight: bass trombone (Olson, Smiley out); Carson Smith: bass, replaces Kelly; Jerry (Lestock) McKenzie: drums, replaces Jerry McKenzie; add Mike Pacheco: Latin percussion. Disc 2: BYU Synthesis Big Band 2014-15 (tracks 1-3, 5-7, 11-15, 17-20) – Ray Smith: director; Shane McQuarrie: trumpet; Austie Robinson: trumpet; Dallas Crane: trumpet; Lisa Christensen: trumpet; Jordan Coon: trumpet; Rachel Havens Baker: trumpet; Justin Hammer: alto sax, clarinet; Jordan Widdison: alto sax, clarinet; Kevin Miller: tenor sax, clarinet; Derek Crane: tenor sax, clarinet; Kyle Miller: baritone sax, clarinet; Brian Woodbury: trombone; Brennan Brown: trombone; Danny Burt: trombone; McKay Heaton: trombone; Ricky Lyman: bass trombone; Jacob Potter: piano; Parker Speirs: guitar; Zoe Jorgensen: bass; Jesse Quebbeman-Turley: drums; Christina Hurlbut: tympani; Hayley Kirkland: vocal (5). BYU SBB 2015-16 (tracks 4, 8-10, 16) – Ray Smith: director; Austie Robinson: trumpet; Daniel Welch: trumpet; Dallas Crane: trumpet; Jordan Coon: trumpet; Abby Castleton: trumpet; Steven Hardy: alto sax, clarinet; Brittney Woodis: alto sax; Jory Woodis: alto sax; Jordan Widdison: tenor sax; Andrew Larson: tenor sax; Jacob Baldwin: baritone sax; Brian Woodbury: trombone; Danny Burt: trombone; Brennan Brown: trombone; McKay Heaton: trombone; Lyman McBride: bass trombone; Nick Wagstaff: piano; Parker Speirs: guitar; Zoe Jorgensen: bass; Brennan Tolman: drums.
Album information
Title: A Kenton Celebration | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Tantara
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