[Dixielandjazz] Stan Kenton

[Stephen Barbone]

Jim Beebe wrote (about Stan Kenton)

"Aaaah...Steve.  the Chicago Symphony doesn't 'swing', it is not
danceable and most of  the orchestra and it's fans are white.  Somehow,
in spite of  these drawbacks, the CSO manages to play some very
worthwhile music."

Hi Jim & List mates:

I agree with you Jim. I never said Kenton's music was not worthwhile.
Sorry if I left that impression. To me all music is worthwhile, for that
matter. IMO, Kenton played very worthwhile music. What I said was:

"Sure most of his fans were white. And why not, the music didn't swing,
was not danceable and more like a band firing an intelligence test at a
seated audience."

Nothing there to suggest that his music was not worthwhile. IMO, if one
is a musician and studies music one must appreciate what that band was
doing rhythmically and harmonically. I was only trying to suggest that
just because Kenton had few Black fans, that doesn't make him a racist.
By way of contrast, others use the color of his fan base as an argument
for the opposite.

Regarding swinging, Kenton's own view was that the music did not have to
swing: He stated in 1965: "I have always maintained that a thing doesn't
necessarily have to swing all the time to be jazz., because there is a
certain way of playing music that came from the jazz conception that can
be applied to rubato movement in music or any sort of time, any
conception of time. It doesn't always have to be a swing thing."

Yes, Kenton has had more impact upon jazz than most of us realize. From
the players who were in his bands, Maynard Ferguson, Stan Getz, Art
Pepper, Laurindo Almeida. Mel Lewis, Kay Winding, Shorty Rogers, Zoot
Sims, Pepper Adams, Bud Shank, Frank Rossolino, Lee Konitz. June
Christy, Anita O'Day, Bob Cooper, etc., etc., etc. And arrangers for his
bands like Pete Rugolo, Gerry Mulligan, Bill Russo, Bill Holman. These
guys were all jazz giants.

Add to that the many clinics he held at schools over the years, and that
school bands still perform Kenton arrangements today around the USA and
one has to conclude that what he did was worthwhile.

But he did also fire musical intelligence tests at the seated audience,
(especially his 27 piece Mellophonium Orchestra, late 40s, early 50s)
and perhaps that is why the actual fan base for the music disappeared.

Can we suppose that some of today's modern "non swinging jazz" is due to
his broad influence?  Hmmmm. That's a thread for another list.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone