[Dixielandjazz] From Mike Vax on rumors of Stan Kenton's 'racism.'

[JimDBB at aol.com]

MIke Vax was an essential part of Stank Kenton's band for some years.  I 
asked him about these rumors that Stan Kenton was a 'racist.'  Here is his 
reply.
Jim Beebe

"That rumor was pretty much started by Ken Burns in his infinite stupidity!

In the book that went along with the wonderfully full of BS - PBS crap that 
he put out, he sites that Stan once voted for George Wallace.  He actually 
joked about that on the bus one day and said that the only reason he voted 
for him was that he was sick and tired of all the lies and BS that the 
politicians were putting out, and Wallace 
was the only one that spoke what he really felt. (That never made it into 
Burn's book.)
Stan had many black musicians tour with the band, including Charlie Parker, 
Dizzy, Ernie Royal and others. The main reason that more blacks didn't play 
on the band had nothing to do with Stan's personality or his political 
beliefs.  Black jazz players did not want to play the kind of music that Stan 
was performing and recording, because it wasn't swing oriented and they 
weren't drawn to it.  Very rarely did blacks ever audition for the band.

Stan Kenton loved ALL kinds of people.  He was one of the nicest, kindest and 
most respectful human beings that I ever met.  He was also one of the very 
best band leaders in the way he treated all the musicians on the band."

Mike Vax ---
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