Artist:Stan Kenton
Song:Intermission Riff
Album:The Stan Kenton Story
This is another in my series of Jazz for Beginners with an affordable CD appropriate for beginners and a live video clip. Stan Kenton was a jazz pianist who started his big band in the 40s when there was plenty of competition. But Kenton's sound was more progressive which was why he remained popular after the rise of bebop in the late 40s. And he continued to tour and record for decades. He was born Dec. 15, 1911 in Wichita, KS. His family moved to Colorado and then in 1924 to Bell, CA near Los Angeles. He learned to play piano in high school and heard Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines. Kenton started playing local clubs with his band The Bell-Tones. He played with Gus Arnheim, Vito Musso and the NBC House Band. Kenton formed his first orchestra in 1940. They played regularly at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Newport Beach influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford. He recorded for Decca but the recordings didn't sell. He also was Bob Hope's radio backup band. But that didn't go well and Les Brown replaced him. Things started to pick up when Kenton signed with Capitol Records in 1943 and the record Eager Beaver was successful. Kenton spent most of his career with Capitol. The success continued after singer Anita O'Day was brought in. The turning point was when Pete Rugolo was brought in as chief arranger followed by June Christy replacing O'Day. Rugolo was a jazz fan and a fan of contemporary classical composers like Stravinsky and Bartok. And Kenton encouraged Rugolo to bring those influences into the band. And this led to Kenton's 1946 album Artistry in Rhythm. This would be very successful. This was a different sound from most WWII big bands and would serve Kenton well for many years. The song Intermission Riff is typical of Kenton's music of the late 40s. It was released as a single in 1946 and then on the 1950 album Stan Kenton's Milestones. The song was written by trumpeter Ray Wetzel who was in the Kenton band at the time and had also been in Woody Herman's band. Rugolo wrote the arrangement. This 4CD box set from the British label Proper is available as a budget comp. As I said, Kenton's success continued for many years and this is a good place for beginners to start. Here's Stan Kenton and his band performing Intermission Riff in London, England Feb. 6, 1972.
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