Home » Jazz Articles » Big Band Report » Salute to Stan Kenton: Artistry in Contrast
Salute to Stan Kenton: Artistry in Contrast
Stan Kenton
piano1911 - 1979
Prologue
Betty and I arrived in L.A. two days early (on our thirtieth wedding anniversary), not for the "bonus" event at Capitol Records in Hollywood (at which the 
Mike Vax
trumpetThursday, October 8
Artistry began, as is customary, at 9 o'clock Thursday morning with the first of four films, all devoted to "The Kenton Era." This one, spanning the years 1941-48, included clips of Kenton (with The film was followed by the first of five special presentations, "In Search of After a short break, the Pete Rugolo Orchestra directed by Ron Jones was first up in the California Ballroom, playing music written by Rugolo for his own big band. With Rugolo's daughter Gina in the audience, the orchestra opened with "California Melodies," "Painted Rhythm" and "Early Stan" before featuring flautist A panel discussion, the first of four, followed in the San Diego Room with moderator Kirk Silsbee overseeing a quintet whose members were Rumsey, "Mr. Bongos" Costanzo, trombonist Rumsey's legendary Lighthouse All-Stars were reassembled for the next concert, which showcased the music of one ot its most gifted (and underrated) members, tenor saxophonist What follows is one's personal opinion and should not be construed as anything more. After the dinner break, things began to slide inexorably downhill as Kim Richmond took center stage to conduct a concert of "Progressive Jazz." The set began with two of Pete Rugolo's more prosaic charts, the frenzied Afro-Cuban theme "Machito" and four-movement "Prologue Suite," before Richmond invited the charming vocalist Many in the audience hadn't had time to recover before Werner Herbers appeared onstage to conduct a six-hour recital of "The Music of Bob Graettinger" (okay, it was one hour; it only seemed like six). Bob Graettinger. How can one suitably appraise his legacy? Well, to begin with, it must be conceded that his turgid and unwieldy themes, tedious and strident as they may be, do comprise "music" of a sort, even though devoid of any elements that would earn this listener's endorsement. To put it another way, were I to be appointed Jazz Czar I would immediately ban Graettinger's music from any and all future jazz events, as it clearly has nothing to do with jazz (that is to say, improvised music). The sole connection seems to be that it was performed by the Kenton Orchestra. Nevertheless, Graettinger's works were prominently displayed here, starting with "Thermopylae" and including "Untitled Original No. 427," "The Beachcomber," "Yenta," "Molshoaro" and a small-band version of the enigmatic "City of Glass." I fully understand that some people, musicians among them, consider Graettinger's music to be nothing short of brilliant, while others shake their heads and wonder what the **** it was that they just heard. Obviously, I belong in the latter group. To me, most of it is nothing short of overwrought, self-indulgent noise. Among the comments I heard afterward, in the hall and elevator, none was positive—and that may be an understatement. On the other hand, a fully orchestrated version of Graettinger's reputed "masterpiece"—"City of Glass"—would not be heard until the following evening. There were welcome reprieves during the set, as designated vocalist Nakasian made her second appearance and delighted the audience with her renditions of "Everything Happens to Me," "Lover Man" and "Fine and Dandy" ("Like singing in an earthquake," she later observed), while the orchestra performed one of Graettinger's more accessible charts, "April in Paris." Perhaps Graettinger was, as some maintain, one of Kenton's more important composer / arrangers. But there were others, at least one of whom—the masterful Friday, October 9 Another day, another film, this one enveloping "Stan Kenton and the Birth of West Coast Jazz." Included were film clips of trumpeter Shorty Rogers (hilarious!); the Kenton Innovations Orchestra (from Ed Sullivan's TV show); saxophonist Panel No. 2, which followed, was a humdinger, with The early afternoon concert brought another big band onstage, this time backing songstress Nakasian in "Something Cool: A Jazz Portrait of June Christy." Nakasian, who teaches at the University of Virginia and is as much musician as singer, has a clear and likable voice, excellent range, solid intonation, perceptive dynamics and, apparently, an unerring knack for choosing the proper songs. The stellar program included "I'll Take Romance," "I Should Care," "This Time the Dream's on Me," "Midnight Sun," "It's a Most Unusual Day," "All About Ronnie" (a bow to the recently departed Alto saxophonist There was one more concert before the dinner break, by the Shorty Rogers Big Band directed by trumpeter Bobby Shew. This was not a panoramic view of Rogers' work, as seven of the dozen songs were taken from a single album, Cool and Crazy, recorded in 1953. Apparently, the band thought it was performing an eighth tune from the album, "Chiquito Loco," but it was actually a big band arrangement of Rogers' "Popo." Those from Cool and Crazy included "Coop de Graas," "Infinity Promenade," "Short Stop," "Boar-Jibu," "Contours," "Tale of an African Lobster" and "Sweetheart of Sigmund Freud." The others were "Pay the Piper," "At Home with Sweets" (for trumpeter After supper, Werner Herbers returned to conduct a big-band concert (with strings) of Kenton's "Innovations in Modern Music" (a.k.a. more Bob Graettinger). The full orchestra opened with Graettinger's "Transparency" (actually its antithesis), after which the string section was featured by itself on his "House of Strings No. 2." Next came the moment everyone had been waiting for, a few with anticipation, most with dread—a sweeping orchestral version of Graettinger's "City of Glass." Herbers had directed the audience's attention to the last breathtaking chord in Movement No. 4, which couldn't arrive fast enough for this embattled listener. Helping pass the time more quickly was the thought of an amusing epigram attributed to the late trumpeter Buddy Childers that was making the rounds in the hallway: "People who live in glass cities shouldn't write charts." Having splintered the "City" into countless shards, Herbers departed, and after a much-needed break the "Innovations" orchestra returned, this time with Kim Richmond at the helm, to clear the air with some relatively accessible themes, starting with the venerable "All the Things You Are," showcasing trumpeter Ron Stout in the solo role once owned by Maynard Ferguson. After Franklin Marks' downward "Spirals," Nakasian returned to offer a wordless vocal on Rugolo's well-named "Conflict" and stayed for Cole Porter's "Love for Sale." Alto Don Shelton was brilliant on Shorty Rogers' "Art Pepper," trombonist "
data-original-title="" title="">Roy Wiegand smooth as velvet on Saturday, October 10 Saturday morning's third film, which I missed, was centered on the Kenton orchestra's vocalists including June Christy, The noon poolside concert, by the Cal State-Fullerton Jazz Ensemble led by Chuck Tumlinson, was as sunny and refreshing as Los Angeles can be in mid-October. The band was pumped and on its toes throughout a pleasing set that opened with As Betty and I were to meet a young friend for lunch (she's a junior at nearby Pepperdine University), I was unable to catch the first half of another splendid concert, "Andy Martin Plays Frank Rosolino." What I did hear was superb, as Martin dazzled on Monk's "Well You Needn't," the standards "Flamingo," "Star Eyes" and "Yesterdays," and the chops-busting finale, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." Martin's Grade A rhythm section was comprised of A late afternoon concert by the Maynard Ferguson Birdland Era Dream Band All-Stars directed by Don Menza was preceded by Panel No. 3, comprised of Kenton alumni Carl Saunders, Steve Huffsteter, Tony Inzalaco, one of Ferguson's drummers, was among the alumni in the All-Star Dream Band. Others included Menza, trumpeter Panel No. 4, held before the dinner break, was well-reasoned and perceptive, with clear and insightful commentary from its two panelists, bassist Back in the California Ballroom with appetites assuaged, the audience readied itself for "Contemporary Concepts," another all-star session highlighting dynamic charts by Holman and Gerry Mulligan. As If that wasn't enough Holman to please everyone, the final concert of the evening brought to the stage the Bill Holman Band, one of the few actual working bands heard during the weekend. As this was Saturday evening's main event, it was disquieting to note that the ballroom was no more than two-thirds full, if that, underscoring the fact that attendance was down compared to other events we'd attended. There were times, during other concerts, when the audience occupied less than half the ballroom's seating area. Let's hope that attendance improves when the Poston events resume next May (more about that later). Holman, who doesn't always wear his "swinging" hat, had it on this time, opening with the arrangement of Lennon / McCartney's "Norwegian Wood" he'd written for the Sunday, October 11 Sunday morning's fourth and final film was another must-see, as it included vintage clips of such Kenton standouts as Bill Perkins, The poolside concert, moved forward more than half an hour for scheduling purposes, turned out to be one of the weekend's highlights, as director Jeff Jarvis and the impressive Cal State-Long Beach Jazz Ensemble unleashed a spectacular performance that included the complete Cuban Fire suite, on which the rhythm / percussion section was no less than electrifying. The band opened in an easygoing vein with Willie Maiden's "A Little Minor Booze" and Dee Barton's soulful arrangement of "Here's That Rainy Day" before turning up the heat on Holman's version of "Stompin' at the Savoy." Having warmed up the audience, the ensemble sprang headlong into Cuban Fire (complete with narrator and French horns / mellophoniums), and Johnny Richards' rhythmically emphatic tone poem has seldom sounded sharper or more invigorating. One thing that set the CSULB group above its counterparts was the over-all strength and creativity of its soloists, all of whom were outstanding. I was especially impressed by tenor saxophonist Tristan Thomas who framed a number of persuasive statements. At concert's end, the CSULB ensemble received a well-earned standing ovation. That was a tough act to follow, but Panel No. 5 did the best it could, as former Kenton lead trumpeter Mike Vax moderated a lively and interesting session whose panelists were members of the "later" (1970s) Kenton orchestras. They included Kim Richmond, That set the stage for the weekend's seventeenth concert, this one by the innovative John Daversa Big Band playing "The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton." The program included "Pententium Motion," "The Singing Oyster," "Three Thoughts," "Fast & Direct," "Camels," "A New Day" and "Missing Platelets," the last including the trumpet duo of John Daversa and his father, Jay, who had soloed earlier on "A New Day" and with alto Kim Richmond on Barton's "Three Thoughts." John Daversa fashioned several nimble solos, with others by trombonists Paul Young and Charlie Morillas and tenors John Yoakum and Tom Peterson. While the music wasn't what I'd call engaging, it was certainly well-played, and John Daversa is a personable and talented leader, composer and arranger. After a break, another all-star band, this one led by pianist Barduhn, presented a prelude to suppertime entitled "Creative World: Stan Kenton in the Seventies." Jay Daversa was in the trumpet section, and Dee Barton's spirit was very much in evidence as the trombones took center stage on his enchanting arrangement of "Here's That Rainy Day." Maiden's "A Little Minor Booze" was followed by The light at the end of the tunnel was growing brighter as the Mike Vax Orchestra Featuring Stan Kenton Alumni began warming up for the final concerts of the four-day event. Audience in place, the band opened the first of two exhilarating sets with Dale Devoe's sunny "Alex's Tune" (solos by Peterson, tenor; Devoe, trombone; Huffsteter, trumpet), followed by a medley from West Side Story (Huffsteter, muted trumpet), Paul Baker's "El Viento Caliente" and Bronislau Kaper's "Invitation" (showcasing Kim Richmond's sensuous alto). Lennie Niehaus arranged Jerome Kern's lovely "Long Ago and Far Away" (Joel Kaye, baritone sax), which set the stage for vocalists Scott Whitfield and Ginger Berglund who wowed the audience with After an intermission, Set 2 got under way with Epilogue In sum, "Artistry in Rhythm" lived up to its promise in spite of some harrowing detours into the realm of the avant-garde (which Kenton no doubt would have relished). In other words, the high spots more than made up for any shortcomings (which, when seen by others, may have been hallmarks). Before leaving, Betty and I had already been given a flier announcing the next LAJI event, to be held May 27-30 at the Sheraton LAX Four Points, with a "bonus" Sunset Harbor cruise May 26 for the first 100 VIP registrants celebrating the legendary "Four Brothers" sound with the Woody Herman Orchestra directed by On the Horizon The Albuquerque Jazz Orchestra swings back into action this month (November 2009) with concerts on the 24th at Eldorado High School and on the 29th at The Cooperage. In December, the AJO has dates on the 5th at the Albuquerque Museum (the annual NM Jazz Workshop fund-raiser, "Yule Struttin'") and on the 11th at Manzano High School. A tribute to the late composer / arranger / pianist Bob Florence will be held at 7 p.m. February 21 at the Lobrero Theatre in Santa Barbara, CA. The concert will feature Florence's Limited Edition Big Band playing his compositions and arrangements including those from the band's CD, Legacy, recorded after Florence's passing in May 2008. The Mike Vax Big Band, recently renamed the Stan Kenton Alumni Band Directed by Mike Vax, is planning a tour of western states next March, and a second tour of the South and Southeast in April. A limited number of fans rides the bus on every tour. For information, to book the band or sign up for the bus rides, phone 925-427-6666 or 925-872-1942, e-mail [email protected], or visit the web site www.mikevax.net And that's it for now. Until next time, keep swingin...'! 1. Jack Cortner Big Band, Sound Check (Jazzed Media)Gus Arnheim
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