The Kenton Era is a compilation album by pianist and bandleader Stan Kenton featuring recordings from 1940 to 1954 which was originally released in two limited edition box sets, as fifteen 7 inch 45 rpm discs and four 12 inch LPs, on Capitol in 1955.Vosbein, P. Stan Kenton Discography: The Kenton Era accessed April 19, 2016The Capitol Sessions of Stan Kenton: 1944 accessed April 19, 2016The Capitol Sessions of Stan Kenton: 1945 accessed April 19, 2016The Capitol Sessions of Stan Kenton: 1946 accessed April 19, 2016The Capitol Sessions of Stan Kenton: 1947 accessed April 19, 2016The Capitol Sessions of Stan Kenton: 1950 accessed April 19, 2016The Capitol Sessions of Stan Kenton: 1952 accessed April 19, 2016The Capitol Sessions of Stan Kenton: 1953 accessed April 19, 2016The Capitol Sessions of Stan Kenton: 1954 accessed April 19, 2016Album details accessed April 19, 2016
Critical reception
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".
Track listing Part 1: Prologue Stan Kenton Speaks of the Development of His Music - 11:48 Part 2: Balboa Bandwagon "Artistry in Rhythm (Opening Theme)" (Stan Kenton) - 0:42 "Two Moods" (Ralph Yaw) - 2:08 "Etude for Saxophones" (Kenton) - 3:15 "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" (Duke Ellington, Paul Francis Webster) - 2:59 "Lamento Gitano" (Traditional) - 2:54 "Reed Rapture" - 2:14 "La Cumparsita" (Gerardo Matos Rodríguez) - 3:16 "St. James Infirmary" (Joe Primrose) - 3:16 "Arkansas Traveler" (Traditional) - 2:03 "Artistry in Rhythm (Closing Theme)" (Kenton) - 0:56 Part 3: Growing Pains "Russian Lullaby" (Irving Berlin) - 2:19 "I Lost My Sugar in Salt Lake City" (Johnny Lang, Leon René) - 2:05 "Opus a Dollar Three Eighty" (Pete Rugolo) - 2:21 "I Know That You Know" (Vincent Youmans, Anne Caldwell) - 1:51 "I'm Going Mad for a Pad" (Joe Greene, Stan Kenton, Jack Lawrence) - 3:04 "Ol' Man River" (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) - 3:01 "I'll Remember April" (Gene de Paul, Patricia Johnston, Don Raye) - 3:03 "Liza" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin, Gus Kahn) - 2:09 Part 4: Artistry in Rhythm "One Twenty" (Yaw) - 2:41 "Body and Soul" (Johnny Green, Frank Eyton, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour) - 3:14 "Tea for Two" (Vincent Youmans, Irving Caesar) - 2:49 "I Never Thought I'd Sing the Blues" (Floyd Bean, Eddie Stone) - 2:57 "I've Got the World on a String" (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) - 3:37 "Everybody Swing" (Gene Roland) - 2:13 "You May Not Love Me" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) - 2:54 "More Than You Know" (Vincent Youmans, Edward Eliscu, Billy Rose) - 2:23 Part 5: Progressive Jazz "Artistry in Harlem Swing" (Roland) - 2:45 "If I Could Be with You" (James P. Johnson, Henry Creamer) - 3:41 "By the River St. Marie" (Edgar Leslie, Harry Warren) - 1:36 "Sophisticated Lady" (Ellington, Mitchell Parish) - 3:11 "Interlude" (Rugolo) - 3:54 "Over the Rainbow" (Arlen, Yip Harburg) - 3:19 "Machito" (Rugolo) - 2:15 "Elegy for Alto" (Kenton, Rugolo) - 4:02 Part 6: Innovations "In Veradero" (Neal Hefti) - 4:15 "Amazonia" (Laurindo Almeida) - 4:37 "Salute" (Rugolo) - 4:02 "Coop's Solo" (Shorty Rogers) - 3:39 "Ennui" (Bill Russo) - 3:37 "Samana" (Manny Albam) - 3:49 Part 7: Contemporary "Swing House" (Gerry Mulligan) - 2:53 "You Go to My Head" (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) - 3:18 "Baa-Too-Kee" (Almeida) - 2:40 "Stella by Starlight" (Victor Young, Ned Washington) - 3:16 "Bill's Blues" (Russo) - 2:51 "Modern Opus" (Robert Graettinger) - 3:13 "Zoot" (Bill Holman) - 3:16 Part 8: Epilogue Epilogue: Stan Kenton Speaks a Word in Summation and Looks to the Future - 2:10 "Artistry in Rhythm (Theme)" (Kenton) - 3:58
Recording locations 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).
Personnel
Bob Ahern - guitar Manny Albam - Laurindo Almeida - guitar, rhythm, soloist Chico Álvarez - soloist, trumpet Nestor Amaral - bongos, rhythm John Anderson - trumpet Al Anthony - alto saxophone, saxophone, soloist Harold Arlen - Bill Atkinson - trombone Don Bagley - bass Chet Ball - saxophone Frank Beach - trumpet Floyd Bean - Morey Beeson - saxophone Gregory Bemko - cello Irving Berlin - Milt Bernhart - soloist, trombone Eddie Bert - trombone Harry Betts - soloist, trombone Ralph Blaze - guitar, tuba Zachary Bock - cello Ray Borden - trumpet Russ Burgher - trumpet Irving Caesar - Bart Caldarell - saxophone Anne Caldwell - Conte Candoli - soloist, trumpet John Carroll - soloist, trumpet Buddy Childers - trumpet June Christy - vocals Dick Cole - trombone Ralph Collier - drums Bob Cooper - tenor saxophone, saxophone, soloist John David Coppola - trumpet Earl Cornwell - violin Jack Costanzo - bongos, soloist Al Costi - guitar Phil Davidson - violin Don Dennis - trumpet Anthony S. Doria - violin Red Dorris - tenor saxophone, saxophone, soloist Gene Englund - bass, tuba Jim Falzone - drums George Faye - trombone Maynard Ferguson - trumpet Tony Ferina - saxophone Alluísio Antunes "Lulu" Ferreira - rhythm Bob Fitzpatrick - trombone Stan Fletcher - tuba Harry Forbes - trombone Barry Galbraith - guitar Karl George - trumpet Bob Gioga - saxophone John Graas - French horn, horn Robert F. Graettinger - arranger, Bart Gray - violin Mel Green - trumpet Frank Greene - coordination María Mendez Grever - Johnny Halliburton - trombone Oscar Hammerstein II - Ken Hanna - arranger, trumpet E.Y. "Yip" Harburg - Alex Harding - saxophone Stanley Harris - viola Buddy Hayes - bass Bill Holman - saxophone James Damian Holmes - violin Gene Howard - vocals John Howell - trumpet Paul Israel - viola Gabe Jellen - cello Milt Kabak - arranger, trombone George Kast - soloist, violin Dick Kenney - trombone Stan Kenton - bandleader, piano, Primary Artist Bob "Dingbod" Kesterson - bass Ray Klein - trombone Irv Kluger - drums Maurice Koukel - violin Alex Law - violin Skip Layton - soloist, trombone Bob Lively - saxophone Ivan Lopes - bongos Abe Luboff - bass Bob Lymperis - trumpet Shelly Manne - drums Ruban McFall - trumpet Dick Meldonian - saxophone Seb Mercurio - violin Eddie Meyers - alto saxophone, saxophone, soloist Dolly Mitchell - vocals Dick Morse - trumpet Dwight Muma - violin Vido Musso - tenor saxophone, saxophone, soloist Boots Mussulli - alto saxophone, saxophone, soloist Danny Napolitano - violin Lennie Niehaus - alto saxophone, saxophone, soloist Anita O'Day - soloist, vocals Herbert Offner - violin José Oliveira - bongos Jack Ordean - alto saxophone, saxophone, soloist Lloyd Otto - French horn, horn Carl Ottobrino - violin Don Paladino - trumpet Art Pepper - alto saxophone, saxophone, soloist Al Porcino - trumpet George Price - horn Clyde Reisinger - trumpet Joe Rizzo - arranger George Roberts - soloist, trombone Shorty Rogers - trumpet Gene Roland - arranger, trumpet Ted Romersa - saxophone Pete Rugolo - arranger Howard Rumsey - bass Bill Russo - soloist, trombone Eddie Safranski - bass, soloist Charlie Scarle - violin Dave Schildkraut - saxophone Bud Shank - flute, saxophone, soloist Aaron Shapiro - viola Charlie Shirley - arranger Jimmy Simms - trombone Zoot Sims & His Five Brothers - tenor saxophone, saxophone, soloist Miff Sines - trombone Sam Singer - viola Clyde Singleton - bass Bill Smiley - trombone Dave Smiley - viola Don Smith - trumpet Bart Varsalona - trombone Joe Vernon - drums Carlos Vidal - Congas George Weidler - alto saxophone, saxophone, soloist Warner Weidler - saxophone Ray Wetzel - soloist, trumpet Stu Williamson - trumpet Kai Winding - soloist, trombone Ben Zimberoff - violin Freddie Zito - trombone
References