The Kenton Era

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Source	Rating
Allmusic	[11]

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow states "Kenton is heard reminiscing about his first 15 years in the business, there are some selections taken from his famous 1941 stint at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, CA, numbers from rehearsals in 1944, radio airchecks dating from 1944-48, some startling performances by Kenton's Innovations orchestra of 1950-51 and a few swinging numbers from his 1952-53 big band. Virtually all of the music is rare, making this an essential acquisition for collectors".[11]

Part 1: Prologue

1. Stan Kenton Speaks of the Development of His Music - 11:48

Part 2: Balboa Bandwagon

1. "Artistry in Rhythm (Opening Theme)" (Stan Kenton) - 0:42
2. "Two Moods" (Ralph Yaw) - 2:08
3. "Etude for Saxophones" (Kenton) - 3:15
4. "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" (Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster) - 2:59
5. "Lamento Gitano" (Traditional) - 2:54
6. "Reed Rapture" - 2:14
7. "La Cumparsita" (Gerardo Matos Rodríguez) - 3:16
8. "St. James Infirmary" (Joe Primrose) - 3:16
9. "Arkansas Traveler" (Traditional) - 2:03
10. "Artistry in Rhythm (Closing Theme)" (Kenton) - 0:56

Part 3: Growing Pains

1. "Russian Lullaby" (Irving Berlin) - 2:19
2. "I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City" (Johnny Lang, Leon René) - 2:05
3. "Opus a Dollar Three Eighty" (Pete Rugolo) - 2:21
4. "I Know That You Know" (Vincent Youmans, Anne Caldwell) - 1:51
5. "I'm Going Mad for a Pad" (Joe Greene, Stan Kenton, Jack Lawrence) - 3:04
6. "Ol' Man River" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) - 3:01
7. "I'll Remember April" (Gene de Paul, Patricia Johnston, Don Raye) - 3:03
8. "Liza" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Gus Kahn) - 2:09

Part 4: Artistry in Rhythm

1. "One Twenty" (Yaw) - 2:41
2. "Body and Soul" (Johnny Green, Frank Eyton, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour) - 3:14
3. "Tea for Two" (Vincent Youmans, Irving Caesar) - 2:49
4. "I Never Thought I'd Sing the Blues" (Floyd Bean, Eddie Stone) - 2:57
5. "I've Got the World on a String" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) - 3:37
6. "Everybody Swing" (Gene Roland) - 2:13
7. "You May Not Love Me" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) - 2:54
8. "More Than You Know" (Vincent Youmans, Edward Eliscu, Billy Rose) - 2:23

Part 5: Progressive Jazz

1. "Artistry in Harlem Swing" (Roland) - 2:45
2. "If I Could Be with You" (James P. Johnson, Henry Creamer) - 3:41
3. "By the River St. Marie" (Edgar Leslie, Harry Warren) - 1:36
4. "Sophisticated Lady" (Ellington, Mitchell Parish) - 3:11
5. "Interlude" (Rugolo) - 3:54
6. "Over the Rainbow" (Arlen, Yip Harburg) - 3:19
7. "Machito" (Rugolo) - 2:15
8. "Elegy for Alto" (Kenton, Rugolo) - 4:02

Part 6: Innovations

1. "In Veradero" (Neal Hefti) - 4:15
2. "Amazonia" (Laurindo Almeida) - 4:37
3. "Salute" (Rugolo) - 4:02
4. "Coop's Solo" (Shorty Rogers) - 3:39
5. "Ennui" (Bill Russo) - 3:37
6. "Samana" (Manny Albam) - 3:49

Part 7: Contemporary

1. "Swing House" (Gerry Mulligan) - 2:53
2. "You Go to My Head" (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) - 3:18
3. "Baa-Too-Kee" (Almeida) - 2:40
4. "Stella by Starlight" (Victor Young, Ned Washington) - 3:16
5. "Bill's Blues" (Russo) - 2:51
6. "Modern Opus" (Robert Graettinger) - 3:13
7. "Zoot" (Bill Holman) - 3:16

Part 8: Epilogue

1. Epilogue: Stan Kenton Speaks a Word in Summation and Looks to the Future - 2:10
2. "Artistry in Rhythm (Theme)" (Kenton) - 3:58

• Recorded at Music City, Hollywood, CA on November 1, 1940 (track 2-3), at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, CA on July 25, 1941 (tracks 2-2 & 2-6), August 17, 1941 (tracks 2-4, 2-7 & 2-9) and September 1, 1941 (tracks 2-1, 2-5, 2-8 & 2-10), at the Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, CA on January 14, 1944 (3-2, 3-6 & 3-8), at Band Rehearsal in Hollywood, CA on April 20, 1944 (3-4 & 3-7), at MacGregor Studio, Hollywood, CA on May 20, 1944 (3-5), at Band Rehearsal in Hollywood, CA on December 6, 1944 (3-1 & 3-3), at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, CA on November 27, 1945 (4-2), December 20, 1945 (4-1, 4-3 & 4-4) and July 18, 1946 (4-5 & 4-8), July 19, 1946 (4-6 & 4-7) and April 1, 1947 (5-1 to 5-4) at the Commodore Hotel, NYC, NY on December 13, 1947 (5-6), at the Hollywood Bowl, CA on June 12, 1948 (5-5, 5-7 & 5-8), at the Capitol Studios, Melrose Avenue, Hollywood CA on February 3, 1950 (6-2) and February 5, 1950 (6-1), March 19, 1952 (7-5) and March 20, 1952 (7-4), January 28, 1953 (7-4), January 30, 1953 (7-3) and December 7, 1954 (1-1 & 8-1), at the Cornell Rhythm Club Concert, Ithaca, NY on October 14, 1951 (6-3 to 6-6), at Universal Recorders in Chicago, IL on September 15, 1952 (7-1 & 7-2) and July 9, 1953 (8-2) and at The Alhambra in Paris, France, on September 18, 1953 (7-7).