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

[Chuck Kercher]

I'll choose to take Max's word, Jim, as I really do not want to believe that Kenton was a racist just as I hate to find out that anyone whom I would like as a friend is a racist. Mea Culpa
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: JimDBB at aol.com 
  To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com 
  Sent: Saturday, January 18, 2003 10:23 AM
  Subject: [Dixielandjazz] From Mike Vax on rumors of Stan Kenton's 'racism.'



  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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