Stan Kenton

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Stan Kenton
(Portrait of Stan Kenton, New York, N.Y.(?), ca. Jan. 1947) (LOC) (5019798027).jpg
Kenton in January 1947
Background information
Birth name Stanley Newcomb Kenton
Born December 15, 1911
Wichita, Kansas, United States
Died August 25, 1979 (aged 67)
Los Angeles, California
Genres Progressive jazz, West Coast jazz, swing
Occupation(s) Bandleader, musician, composer, arranger
Instruments Piano
Years active 1930�1978
Labels Capitol, Decca, Creative World
Associated acts Maynard Ferguson, Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan, Nat King Cole, Anita
O'Day, Lucky Thompson, June Christy, Chris Connor, Art Pepper, Pete Rugolo, Eddie
Safranski
Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 � August 25, 1979) was an American
popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader he
led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though
Kenton had several pop hits from the early 1940s into the 1960s, his music was
always forward looking. Kenton was also a pioneer in the field of jazz education,
creating the Stan Kenton Jazz Camp in 1959 at Indiana University.[1]

Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
2.1 1930s
2.2 1940s
2.2.1 Artistry in Rhythm
2.2.2 Progressive Jazz
2.3 1950s
2.4 1960s
2.5 1970s
3 Timeline of Stan Kenton Orchestras
3.1 Legacy
4 Personal life
5 Gold records and charts (singles and albums)
5.1 Hits as charted singles
5.2 Hits as charted albums
6 Awards and honors
6.1 Wins and honors from major publications
6.2 Grammy Awards[42]
6.3 International Music Awards
6.4 Other Awards and Honors
6.5 Posthumously honored
7 Noted band personnel
8 Discography and on film and television
8.1 Studio albums
8.2 Live albums
8.3 Compilations
8.4 On film or television
9 Compositions
10 Notes
11 References
12 External links
Early life
Stan Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, in Wichita, Kansas; he had two sisters
(Beulah and Erma Mae) born three and eight years after him. His parents, Floyd and
Stella Kenton, had moved the family back to Colorado, then, finally in 1924 to the
Greater Los Angeles Area, settling in suburban Bell, California.[1]

Kenton attended Bell High School; his high-school yearbook picture has the
prophetic notation "Old Man Jazz". Kenton started learning piano as a teen from a
local pianist and organist. When he was around 15 and in high school, pianist and
arranger Ralph Yaw introduced him to the music of Louis Armstong and Earl Hines. He
graduated from high school in 1930.

By the age of 16, Kenton was already playing a regular solo piano gig at a local
hamburger eatery for 50 cents a night plus tips; during that time he had his own
performing group named "The Bell-Tones". His first arrangement was written during
this time for a local eight-piece band that played in nearby Long Beach.[1]

Career
1930s
In April 1936 Gus Arnheim was reorganizing his band into the style of Benny
Goodman's groups and Kenton was to take the piano chair. This is where Kenton would
make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in
summer of 1937. Once he departed from Gus Arnheim's group, Kenton went back to
study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition. In 1938 Kenton
would join Vido Musso in a short-lived band but a very educational experience for
him.

From the core of this group come the line up of the first Stan Kenton groups of the
1940s. Kenton would also go on to working with the NBC House Band and in various
Hollywood studios and clubs. Producer George Avakian took notice of Kenton during
this time while he worked as the pianist and Assistant Musical Director at the Earl
Carroll Theatre Restaurant in Hollywood. Kenton started to get the idea of running
his own band from this experience; he created a rehearsal band of his own which
eventually become his group in the 1940s.[1]

1940s

Stan Kenton in Billboard magazine, October 1942

In June 1941, Kenton formed his first orchestra. Kenton worked in the early days
with his own groups as much more of an arranger than a featured pianist. Although
there were no "name" musicians in his first band (with the possible exception of
bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez), Kenton spent the summer of 1941
playing regularly before an audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach,
CA. Influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford, the Stan Kenton Orchestra
struggled for a time after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big
sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band during the 1943�44 season was
an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place.[2]

Stan Kenton with bassist Eddie Safranski, 1947 or 1948

Kenton's first appearance in New York was in February 1942 at the Roseland
Ballroom, with the marquee featuring an endorsement by Fred Astaire.[3] By late
1943, with a contract with the newly formed Capitol Records, a popular record in
"Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually
catching on; it developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the
1940s. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz,
altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945, the band had evolved.[2]
The songwriter Joe Greene provided the lyrics for hit songs like "And Her Tears
Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'".[4] Pete Rugolo became
the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered
very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her hits
(including "Tampico" and Greene's "Across the Alley from the Alamo") made it
possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects.

Artistry in Rhythm
When composer/arranger Pete Rugolo joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra as staff
arranger in late 1945 he brought with him his love of jazz, Stravinsky and Bart�k.
Given free rein by Kenton, Rugolo experimented. Although Kenton himself was already
trying experimental scores prior to Rugolo's tenure, it was Rugolo who brought
extra jazz and classical influences much needed to move the band forward
artistically.

During his first six months on the staff, Rugolo tried to copy Kenton's sound; on
encouragement from the leader he explored his own voice. By incorporating
compositional techniques borrowed from the modern classical music he studied,
Rugolo was a key part of one its most fertile and creative periods.[5]

(From left:) Pete Rugolo, Stan Kenton, and Bob Graettinger in 1948.
After a string of mostly arrangements, Rugolo turned out three originals that
Kenton featured on the band's first album in 1946: (Artistry in Rhythm): "Artistry
in Percussion", "Safranski" and "Artistry in Bolero". Added to this mix came
"Machito", "Rhythm Incorporated", "Monotony" and "Interlude" in early 1947 (though
some were not recorded until later in the year). These compositions, along with
June Christy's voice, came to define the Artistry in Rhythm band. Afro-Cuban
writing was added to the Kenton book with compositions like Rugolo's "Machito."

The Artistry in Rhythm ensemble was a formative band, with outstanding soloists. By
early 1947, the Stan Kenton Orchestra had reached a high point of financial and
popular success. They played in the best theaters and ballrooms in America and
numerous hit records. Dances at the many ballrooms were typically four hours a
night and theater dates generally involved playing mini concerts between each
showing of the movie. This was sometimes five or six a day, stretching from morning
to late night. Most days not actually playing were spent in buses or cars. Days off
from performing were rare. For Stan Kenton they just allowed for more record
signing, radio station interviews, and advertising for Capitol Records. Due to the
financial and personal demands, following an April performance in Tuscaloosa, he
broke up the Artistry in Rhythm incarnation of Kenton ensembles.

Progressive Jazz
After a hiatus of five months, Kenton reformed an ensemble with a new goal; he
would present Concerts in Progressive Jazz. This goal proved mostly obtainable but
the band had to still fill in its schedule by booking dances and movie theater
jobs, especially over the summer.

Pete Rugolo composed and arranged the great bulk of the new music; Kenton declared
these works to be Progressive Jazz. A student of famed composer and educator Russ
Garcia, Bob Graettinger wrote numerous works for the band starting with his
composition Thermopylae. His ground-breaking album City of Glass would be recorded
by Kenton; works created from 1947-49. Ken Hanna, who began the tour as a trumpet
player, contributed a few compositions to the new band, including Tiare and
Somnambulism. Kenton contributed no new scores to the Progressive Jazz band,
although several of his older works were performed on concerts, including Concerto
to End All Concertos, Eager Beaver, Opus in Pastels, and Artistry in Rhythm.

Stan Kenton with Pete Rugolo, 1948

Cuban inflected titles from the Progressive Jazz period include Rugolo's
Introduction to a Latin Rhythm, Cuban Carnival, The Peanut Vendor, and Journey to
Brazil, and Bob Graettinger's Cuban Pastorale. The addition of a full-time bongo
player and a Brazilian guitarist in the band enabled Kenton's cadre of composers to
explore Afro-Latin rhythms to far greater possibilities.

The Progressive Jazz period lasted 14 months, beginning on September 24, 1947, when
the Stan Kenton Orchestra played a concert at the Rendezvous Ballroom. And it ended
after the last show at the Paramount Theatre in New York City on December 14, 1948.
The band produced only one album and a handful of singles, due to a recording ban
by the American Federation of Musicians that lasted the entirety of 1948.[6]

The lone record, "A Presentation of Progressive Jazz,"[7] received a 3 out of 4

rating from Tom Herrick in DownBeat.[8] Metronome rated it "C" calling it a "jerry-
built jumble of effects and counter-effects" and "this album presents very little
that can justifiably be called either jazz or progressive."[9] Billboard scored it
80 out of 100, but declared it "as mumbo-jumbo a collection of cacophony as has
ever been loosed on an unsuspecting public.[10]

Many sidemen from the Artistry band returned, but there were significant changes.
[11] Laurindo Almeida on classical guitar, and Jack Costanzo on bongos dramatically
changed the band's timbre. Both were firsts for the Kenton band, or any jazz band
for that matter. The rhythm section included returnees Eddie Safranski (bass) and
Shelly Manne (drums), both destined to win first place Down Beat awards.

� Kids are going haywire over the sheer noise of this band�There is a danger of
an entire generation growing up with the idea that jazz and the atom bomb are
essentially the same natural phenomenon. �
� Barry Ulanov, Metronome, 1948[12]
Four of the five trumpet players returned: Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, Chico
Alvarez, and Ken Hanna. Al Porcino was added to the already powerhouse section.
Conte Candoli joined the band, replacing Porcino, in February 1948.

Kai Winding, star trombonist of the Artistry in Rhythm band would not be a part of
the Progressive Jazz era, except for a few dates on which he subbed. Milt Bernhart
came in on lead trombone. And Bart Varsalona returned on bass trombone. Bernhart's
first big solo with the Kenton band proved to be a major hit, The Peanut Vendor.

The saxophone section was much improved and modernized. Returning saxophonists
included baritone Bob Gioga, holding down his chair since the very start, and Bob
Cooper on tenor. With Vido Musso's departure, Cooper and his modernist sound became
the featured tenor soloist. Art Pepper came on as second alto, the "jazz" chair.
And the new lead alto was George Weidler.

This was literally a band of all-stars. They received five first place awards in
the Down Beat poll at the end of 1947,[13] and similar awards from the other
magazines. The arrangers continued to push the limits of these superb
instrumentalists in their compositions. Works from this period are more
sophisticated than those written for the Artistry band, and are some of the first
and most successful "third stream" compositions.

The band criss-crossed the country, appearing in the nation's top concert venues,
including Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Chicago Civic Opera House, Academy
of Music (Philadelphia), and the Hollywood Bowl. They had extended stays at New
York's Paramount Theatre and Hotel Commodore, Philadelphia's Click, Detroit's
Eastwood Gardens, Radio City Theater in Minneapolis, and the Rendezvous Ballroom, a
special place in Kenton's musical life.

Kenton's band was the first to present a concert in the famous outdoor arena, the
Hollywood Bowl. His concert there on June 12, 1948 drew more than 15,000 people,
and was both an artistic and commercial success. Kenton pocketed half of the box
office, walking away with $13,000 for the evening's concert.[14]

The band broke attendance records all across the country. Thanks to Kenton's public
relations acumen, he was able to convince concert goers and record buyers of the
importance of his music. Comedy numbers and June Christy vocals helped break up the
seriousness of the new music.

Kenton's successes did not sit well with everyone. In an essay entitled Economics
and Race in Jazz, Leslie B. Rout Jr. wrote that "the real scourge of the 1946-1949
period was the all-white Stan Kenton band. Dubbing his musical repertoire
'progressive jazz,' Kenton saw his orchestra become the first in jazz history to
reach an annual gross of $1,000,000 in 1948." He contrasted this with a situation
in which critical and public recognition of "Dizzy Gillespie as the premiere bopper
could not be transformed into coin of the realm."[15]

At the end of 1948, as the band was fulfilling an extended engagement at the
Paramount Theater in New York City, the leader notified his sidemen, his bookers,
and the press, that he would be disbanding once more. Kenton's most artistically
and commercially successful band ceased to be at the top of their game. On December
14, the Stan Kenton Orchestra played their last notes for over a year. When they
returned, there would be new faces, new music and a string section.

1950s
After a year's hiatus, in 1950 Kenton finally put together the large 39-piece
Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra that included 16 strings, a woodwind section,
and two French horns. The music was an extension of the works composed and recorded
since 1947 by Bob Graettinger, Manny Albam, Franklyn Marks and others. Name jazz
musicians such as Maynard Ferguson, Shorty Rogers, Milt Bernhart, John Graas, Art
Pepper, Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Laurindo Almeida, Shelly Manne, and June Christy
were part of these musical ensembles. The groups managed two tours during 1950�51,
from a commercial standpoint it would be Stan Kenton's first major failure. Kenton
soon reverted to a more standard 19-piece lineup.[1]

In order to be more commercially viable, Kenton reformed the band in 1951 to a much
more standard instrumentation: five saxes, five trombones, five trumpets, piano,
guitar, bass, drums. The charts of such arrangers as Gerry Mulligan, Johnny
Richards, and particularly Bill Holman and Bill Russo began to dominate the
repertoire. The music was written to better reflect the style of cutting edge, be-
bop oriented big bands; like those of Dizzy Gillespie or Woody Herman. Young,
talented players and outstanding jazz soloists such as Maynard Ferguson, Lee
Konitz, Conte Candoli, Sal Salvador, and Frank Rosolino made strong contributions
to the level of the 1952�'53 band. The music composed and arranged during this time
was far more tailor made to contemporary jazz tastes; the 1953 album New Concepts
of Artistry in Rhythm is noted as one of the high points in Kenton's career as band
leader. Though the band was to have a very strong "concert book", Kenton also made
sure the dance book was made new, fresh and contemporary. The album Sketches on
Standards from 1953 is an excellent example of Kenton appealing to a wider audience
while using the band and Bill Russo's arranging skills to their fullest potential.
Even though the personnel changed rather rapidly, Kenton's focus was very clear on
where he would lead things musically. By this time producer Lee Gillette worked
well in concert with Kenton to create a balanced set of recordings that were both
commercially viable and cutting edge musically.

Arguably the most "swinging" band Kenton was to field came when legendary drummer
Mel Lewis joined the orchestra in 1954. Kenton's Contemporary Concepts (1955) and
Kenton in Hi-Fi (1956) albums during this time are very impressive as a be-bop
recording and then a standard dance recording (respectively).[1] Kenton in Hi-Fis
wide popularity and sales benefited from the fact it was his greatest hits of ten
years earlier re-recorded in stereo with a contemporary, much higher level band.
The album climbed all the way up to #22 on the Billboard album charts and provided
much needed revenue at a time when Rock n Roll had started to become the dominant
pop music in the United States.[1] It would become more and more difficult for
Kenton to alternate between 'dance' and serious 'jazz' albums while staying
financially solvent.

During the summer of the summer of 1955 (July - September), Kenton was to become
the host of the CBS television series Music 55. While it offered 10 weeks of great
exposure to a rapidly expanding television audience, the show failed. It was
plagued by poor production techniques and a strange combination of guests that did
not work well with what Kenton had envisioned. He ended up being stiff and out of
place with what the producers tried to achieve.[16] . Kenton had to burn the candle
at both ends flying in to do the show then flying back out to meet his band out on
the road. The New York production team was limited by using an American Federation
of Musicians roster of local players; Kenton wanted his own band to do the show.

Stan Kenton's Cuban Fire! album featured the music of composer Johnny Richards
One of the standout projects and recordings for the mid-1950s band is the Cuban
Fire! album released in 1956. Though Stan Kenton had recorded earlier hits such as
The Peanut Vendor in 1947 with Latin percussionist Machito, as well as many other
Latin flavored singles, the Cuban Fire! suite and LP stands as a watershed set of
compositions for Johnny Richards' career and an outstanding commercial/artistic
achievement for the Kenton orchestra, and a singular landmark in large ensemble
Latin jazz recordings.[17][1] "CUBAN FIRE is completely authentic, the way it
combines big-band jazz with genuine Latin-American rhythms."[18] The success of the
Cuban Fire! album can be gauged in part by the immediate ascent of Johnny Richards'
star after its release; he was suddenly offered a contract by Bethlehem Records to
record what would be the first of several recordings with his own groups.[1]

At one point, Kenton faced a controversy in 1956 with comments he made when the
band returned from a European tour. The current Critics Poll in Down Beat was now
dominated by African-American musicians in virtually every category. The Kenton
band was playing in Ontario, Canada at the time, and Kenton dispatched a telegram
which lamented "a new minority, white jazz musicians," and stated his "disgust
[with the so-called] literary geniuses of jazz." Jazz critic Leonard Feather
responded in the October 3, 1956, issue of Down Beat with an open letter that
questioned Kenton's racial views. Feather implied that Kenton's failure to win the
Critics Poll was probably the real reason for the complaint, and wondered if racial
prejudice was involved. In hindsight the record shows Kenton's biggest sin is to
have hastily fired off the comments. His racial views and relationships with Black
or Hispanic musicians were quite good dating back to interaction with Charlie
Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Machito and Nat King Cole besides having band members such
as Lucky Thompson, Curtis Counce, Ramon Lopez, Kevin Jordan, and Douglas Purviance.

By the end of the decade Kenton was with the last incarnation of a 19-piece, '50s-
style Kenton orchestra. Many bands have been called a leader's "best"; this last
Kenton 1959 incarnation of the 1950s bands may very well be the best. The group
would pull off one of Kenton's most artistic, subtle and introspective recordings,
Standards in Silhouette. As trombonist Archie LeCoque recalled of this album of
very slow ballads, "...it was hard, but at the time we were all young and straight-
ahead, we got through it and (two) albums came out well."[1] By 1959 Stereophonic
sound recording was now being fully utilized with all major labels. One of the
great triumphs of the Standards in Silhouette album is the mature writing, the
combination of the room used, a live group with very few overdubs, and the
recording being in full stereo fidelity (and later remastered to digital).[19] Bill
Mathieu was highly skeptical of the decision to record his music like Cuban Fire!
in a cavernous ballroom. Mathieu adds: "Stan and producer Lee Gillette were
absolutely right: the band sounds alive and awake (which is not easy when recording
many hours of slow-tempo music in a studio), and most importantly, the players
could hear themselves well in the live room. The end result is the band sounds
strong and cohesive, and the album is well recorded."[20] This is the last set of
studio dates before Kenton would retool the entire orchestra in 1960.

1960s

Stan Kenton with Bill Holman in December 1961 for the Adventures In Jazz recording
sessions at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California
The Kenton orchestra had been on a slow decline in sales and popularity in the late
1950s with having to compete with newer, popular music artists such as Elvis
Presley, Bobby Darin and The Platters. The nadir of this decline was around 1958
and coincided with a recession that was effecting the entire country.[1] There were
far fewer big bands on the road and live music venues were hard to book for the
Kenton orchestra. The band would end 1959 beaten up by poor attendance at concerts
and having to rely far more on dance halls than real jazz concerts.[20] The band
would reform in 1960 with a new look and new sound, this was larger group with a
'mellophonium' section added and part of an upsurge in Kenton's popularity.[1][20]

The Mellophonium was a featured instrument by Stan Kenton from 1960 through the end
of 1963. Though intonation was problematic, it added a unique color to the sound
palate of the orchestra.
The new instrument was used by Kenton to "bridge the gap" in range, color, and
tonality between his trumpet and trombone sections. Essentially it creates a
conical, midrange sound that is common in a symphonic setting with a horn (French
horn) but the bell of the instrument faces forward. Kenton's 1961 recording The
Romantic Approach for Capitol is the first of 11 LPs that would feature the
"mellophonium band". Kenton arranged the whole first mellophonium album himself and
it was very well received in a September 1961 review in Down Beat.[21]

I loved playing Johnny's music, and so did Stan. West Side Story was probably the
toughest album I ever recorded...
� Jerry McKenzie[20]
The Kenton Orchestra from 1960 to 1963 had numerous successes; the band had a
relentless recording schedule. The albums Kenton's West Side Story (arrangements by
Johnny Richards) and Adventures In Jazz, each won Grammy awards in 1962 and 1963
respectively. Ralph Carmichael wrote a superb set of Christmas charts for Kenton
which translated into one of the most popular recordings from the band leader to
date: A Merry Christmas!. Also, Johnny Richards' Adventures in Time suite (recorded
in 1962) was the culmination of all things the mellophonium band was capable of.[1]
[22] After the Fall 1963 U.S./U.K. tour ended in November, the mellophonium
incarnation of Kenton bands was done. The conditions of Stan�s divorce from jazz
singer, Ann Richards was that a judge ordered Stan to take a year off the road to
help raise their two children or lose custody all together. Kenton would not reform
another road band for tour until 1965.

Kenton had ties from earlier writing of country/western songs that were a success
with Capitol and again he tried his hand in that genre during the early 1960s. In a
music market that was becoming increasingly tight, in 1962 he cut the hit single
"Mama Sang a Song"; his last Top-40 (No. 32 Billboard, No. 22 Music Vendor). The
song was a narration written by country singer Bill Anderson and spoken by Kenton.
The single also received a Grammy nomination the following year in the Best
Documentary or Spoken Word Recording category. The other attempt he made into that
market was the far less successful Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter!, released in 1962 as a
full LP.
After the breakup of the mellophonium band, Kenton / Wagner (1964) was an important
recording project that Kenton arranged himself, again moving towards "progressive
jazz" or third stream music. This album was not a financial success but kept Kenton
at the forefront of 'art music' interpretation in the commercial music world. Stan
Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (1965) was an artistic success
that garnered another Grammy nomination for the band leader.

The 1966 - 1969 Capitol releases for Stan Kenton were a severe low point for his
recording career. Capitol producer Lee Gillette was trying to exploit the money
making possibilities of numerous popular hits to include the 1968 musical Hair
featuring contemporary rock music.[1] Due to lack of promotion by Capitol, four LPs
were financial failures; this would be the last releases for Kenton under the aegis
of long time Kenton producer Lee Gillette and Capitol.[1] In fact, by the time it
was recorded Kenton had no involvement in the Hair LP except for Kenton's name
placed on the jacket cover; Ralph Carmichael and Lennie Niehaus were placed in
charge of the project. Two exceptions to this late 1960s period are the Billboard
charted single the band cut of the Dragnet theme (1967) and another Kenton presents
release featuring the music of composer and ex-bandsman Dee Barton: The Jazz
Compositions of Dee Barton (1967). The album featuring Barton's music was another
unsung artistic success for the Kenton band though widely unseen commercially by
the a music listening public.[1]

1970s

Stan Kenton with his band in M�nich, Germany, September 1973

The transition from Capitol to Creative World Records in 1970 was fraught with
difficulties during a time when the music business was changing rapidly. As a
viable jazz artist who was trying to keep a loyal but dwindling following, Kenton
turned to arrangers such as Hank Levy and Bob Curnow to write material that
appealed to a younger audience.[1] The first releases for the Creative World label
were live concerts and Kenton had the control he wanted over content but lacked
substantial resources to engineer, mix, and promote what Capitol underwrote in the
past. Kenton would take a big gamble to bypass the current record industry and rely
far more on the direct mail lists of jazz fans which the newly formed Creative
World label would need to sell records.[23] Kenton also made his print music
available to college and high-school stage bands with several publishers.

Stan Kenton with Bob Curnow, Universal Studios in Chicago, 1974

Kenton continued leading and touring with his big band up to his final performance
in August 1978. In June 1973 Bob Curnow had started as the new artists and
repertoire manager overseeing the whole operation of the Creative World Records.
[24] It was just the year before (in 1972) the Kenton orchestra recorded the
National Anthems of the World double LP with 40 arrangements all done by Curnow.
[25] As per Curnow himself, "That was a remarkable and very difficult time for me.
I was managing (Stan's) record company with NO ex.rience in business, writing music
like mad, living in a new place and culture (Los Angeles was another world),
traveling a LOT (out with the band at least 1 week a month) and trying to keep it
together at home."[26]

When Kenton took to the road during the early 1970s and up to his last tour, he
took with him seasoned veteran musicians (John Worster, Willie Maiden, Warren Gale,
Graham Ellis and others) teaming them with relatively unknown young artists, and
new arrangements (including those by Hank Levy, Bill Holman, Bob Curnow, Willie
Maiden and Ken Hanna) were used. Many alumni associated with Kenton from this era
became educators (Mike Vax, John Von Ohlen, Chuck Carter, and Richard Torres), and
a few went on to take their musical careers to the next level, such as Peter
Erskine and Tim Hagans.
Timeline of Stan Kenton Orchestras

Legacy
Kenton was a salient figure on the American musical scene and made an indelible
mark on the arranged type of big band jazz. Kenton's music evolved with the times
from 1940 through the 1970s. He was at the vanguard of promoting jazz and jazz
improvisation through his service as an educator through his Stan Kenton Band
Clinics. The "Kenton Style" continues to permeate big bands at the high school and
collegiate level, and the framework he designed for the "jazz clinic" is still
widely in use today.

Starting in the waning days of the big band era, Kenton found a multitude of ways
in which to progress his art form. In his hands the size of the jazz orchestra
expanded greatly, at times exceeding forty musicians. The frequency range (high and
low notes) was also increased with the use of bass trombones and tuba, and baritone
and bass saxophones. The dynamic range was pushed on both ends; the band could play
softer and louder than any other big band. Kenton was the primary band leader
responsible for moving the big band from the dance hall to the concert hall; one of
the most important and successful players in the Third Stream movement.

Interest in his music has experienced somewhat of a resurgence, with critical

"rediscovery" of his music and many reissues of his recordings. An alumni band
named for him tours, led by lead trumpeter Mike Vax, which performs not only
classic Kenton arrangements, but also new music written and performed by the band
members (much like Kenton's own groups). Kenton donated his entire library to the
music library of North Texas State University[27] (now the University of North
Texas), and the Stan Kenton Jazz Recital Hall is named in his honor. His
arrangements are now published by Sierra Music Publications.[28]

When comparing the four longest running touring jazz orchestras (Kenton, Herman,
Basie, Ellington), Stan Kenton's band had a higher turnover of personnel. Bob
Gioga, Buddy Childers, and Dick Shearer all played for Kenton for over a decade.
Other important soloists such as Lennie Niehaus, Bill Perkins and Chico Alvarez had
lengthy stays on the band as well. The list of noted jazz players, studio musicians
is impressive and the consistency of the group from 1941 to Kenton's passing in
1979 is notable. Stan Kenton's leadership and music vision was clear to marshal the
forces of such a diverse set of players and arrangers over this long period of
time; Kenton stands alone in the respect.

Personal life
Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, according to his birth certificate, according
to British biographer Michael Sparke.[18]

Kenton was conceived out of wedlock, and his parents told him that he was born two
months later than the actual date, February 19, 1912, to obscure this fact. Kenton
believed well into adulthood that the February date was his birthday, and recorded
the Birthday In Britain concert album on February 19, 1973.[29]

The true date remained a closely held secret, and his grave marker shows the
incorrect February birthdate.[18]

Kenton was married three times. Three children were produced from the first two
marriages. His first marriage was to Violet Rhoda Peters in 1935 and lasted for 15
years. The couple had a daughter in 1941, Leslie. In her 2010 memoir Love Affair,
Leslie Kenton wrote that, from 1952 to 1954, when she was between the ages of 11
and 13, her father sexually molested and raped her.[30] She nonetheless maintained
a close relationship with him during his lifetime, though she states that she was
emotionally scarred by the experience.[31][32][33][34] She stated that the rapes
always occurred under the influence of alcohol, that he was not fully aware of his
actions, and that 20 years later he apologized profusely.[35] Leslie was an author
of several books about health, spirituality and beauty.[31][32]

In 1955, Stan Kenton married San Diego-born singer Ann Richards, who was 23 years
his junior. The relationship produced two children: daughter Dana Lynn and son
Lance. In 1961, Richards posed for a nude layout in Playboy magazine's June 1961
issue.[36] She signed a contract to record with Atco, a company other than Capitol
Records that her husband was unaware of.[37] The Playboy shoot was done without
Kenton's knowledge, and he only found out about it while playing at the Aragon
Ballroom in Chicago when handed the magazine by Charles Suter, who was the editor
of Down Beat magazine at the time.[38] Richards was not typically on the road with
the band, though she had recorded the album Two Much! with Kenton in 1960. Kenton
filed for divorce in August 1961 and it was finalized in 1962.[39][1]

Kenton's third marriage was to KABC production assistant Jo Ann Hill, in 1967. This
also ended in a separation in 1969 with the divorce following in 1970.[1]

In his later years he lived with his public relations secretary and last business
manager, Audree Coke Kenton, though they never formally married.[citation needed]

Kenton's heavy consumption of alcohol contributed to the physical difficulties he

encountered during the last 10 years of his life.[35]

Kenton's son Lance became a member of the controversial Synanon new-age community
in California, and served as one of its "Imperial Marines," a group entrusted with
committing violence against former members and others considered enemies of the
community. In 1978 he was arrested for helping to put a rattlesnake in the mailbox
of an anti-Synanon lawyer, and was sentenced to a year in prison.[40]

Kenton had two accidental falls, one in the early 1970s and one in the autumn of
1977 while on tour in Reading, Pennsylvania. The second fall was very serious as he
fractured his skull. The last two years of his life became far more physically
challenging for Kenton from the effects of the two accidents.

On August 17, 1979, he was admitted to Midway Hospital near his home in Los Angeles
after a stroke; he died eight days later, on August 25. At the time of his death he
had three grandchildren. Kenton was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park
Cemetery, Los Angeles.[40]

Gold records and charts (singles and albums)

Gold Records

1944 Artistry in Rhythm (Capitol Records) instrumental

1945 Tampico (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and band
1945 Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and
band
Hits as charted singles
(Songs that reached the top of the US or UK charts)

Between 1944 and 1967, Stan Kenton had numerous hits on Billboard's charts.[41]

year Title Chart peak position

US Year end position US
R&B US
Country US
Adult Contemporary
1944 Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me (sung by Red Doris) 20 8
1944 Eager Beaver 14
1944 And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine (sung by Anita O'Day) 4 27
1944 How Many Hearts Have You Broken (sung by Gene Howard)9
1945 Tampico (sung by June Christy) 2 46
1945 It's Been a Long, Long Time (sung by June Christy) 6
1946 Artistry Jumps 13
1946 Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin' (sung by June Christy) 16
1946 Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy (sung by June Christy) 6

1946 It's a Pity to Say Goodnight (sung by June Christy) 12

1947 His Feet Too Big for De Bed (sung by June Christy) 12
1947 Across the Alley from the Alamo (sung by June Christy) 11

1948 How High the Moon (sung by June Christy) 27 27

1950 Orange Colored Sky (sung by Nat King Cole) 5
1951 September Song 17
1951 Laura 12
1952 Delicado 25
1960 My Love (sung by Nat King Cole) 47 12
1962 Mama Sang a Song (spoken word by Stan Kenton) 32 12
1967 Dragnet 40
Hits as charted albums
(Albums charting history with Billboard Magazine)

year Album Chart peak/

year end #
Peak, US Year end
1946 Artistry in Rhythm 2 (1/11/47) #15 (1947)
1948 A Presentation of Progressive Jazz *1 (5/29 - 7/17) #1
1949 Encores 2 (2/26/49)
1950 Innovations in Modern Music 4 (4/22/50)
1956 Kenton in Hi-Fi 20 (5/5/56) #22
1956 Cuban Fire! 17 (9/15/56)
1961 West Side Story 16 (Oct.
1961)
1972 Stan Kenton Today 146 (7/8/72)
Awards and honors
Wins and honors from major publications
Year Music
publication won honor named
1946 Metronome Band of the year
Down Beat Best band of 1946
1947 Metronome Band of the year
Metronome All-Stars
Down Beat Best band of 1947
1948 Metronome Band of the year
1950 Down Beat Best band of 1950
1951 Best band of 1951
1952 Best band of 1952
1953 Metronome Band of the year
Down Beat Best band of 1953
1954 Metronome Band of the year
Down Beat Best band of 1954
Hall of Fame
1955 Metronome Band of the year
1957 Playboy Jazz Artist of the Year
1958
1959
1960
Grammy Awards[42]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1962 West Side Story (album) Best Performance by an orchestra - for other than
dancing Nominated
Best Jazz Performance - Large Group (Instrumental) Won
1963 Adventures In Jazz (album) Won
Best Engineered recording (other than classical and novelty) Nominated
1963 Mama Sang a Song (single) Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording
(other than comedy) Nominated
1965 Artistry in Voices and Brass (album) Best Performance by a Chorus
Nominated
1967 Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (album) Best
Instrumental Jazz Performance, Individual or Group Nominated
Grammy Hall of Fame

Year Nominee / work Award Result

1943 Artistry in Rhythm (with the Stan Kenton Orchestra) Grammy Hall of Fame
(1985) Inducted
International Music Awards
Year Award Country Album or single Label
1968 Edison Award Netherlands The World We Know (album) Capitol