Stan Kenton Presents: Capitol 1950

Stan Kenton Presents Capitol 1950 CAT# L248

Wichita born Stan Kenton tried a lot of things, some of which stuck in jazz for decades.  This LP however represents one of his attempts at innovation that did not catch on. Regardless, it is a fairly interesting listen and a good attempt at something new.

The album saw Kenton putting together an amazing set of players, some tunes even feature names of the band, "Maynard Ferguson," "Shelly Manne," "June Christy," and "Art Pepper" are all track names and players on the LP.  Throughout the tracks, Kenton took highly sophisticated jazz structure and merged it with classical movements and ideas.

The release isn't as challenging as some of his later work and experiments, it's fairly pleasant and easy to listen to.  It's easy to see why the classical/jazz merger didn't stick with others or even Kenton, it sounds forced and segmented.  Still, it's interesting hearing something tip toeing around Stravinsky before it goes full out jazz band.

"Maynard Ferguson"

Stan Kenton New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm Capitol 1952

Stan Kenton New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm Capitol 1952 CAT# H383

So, when I first embarked on this project and found out Stan Kenton was from Wichita, KS, I was like, "Sweet!"  Then, as I started actually keeping my eyes peeled for all records that have a Kansas connection and saw how many Kenton albums are out there I said to myself, "Fuck, Stan Kenton is from Wichita."  I mean seriously, how many things can I possibly come up with to say about Stan Kenton?

Luckily, this 10" is pretty interesting and at points, challenging.  Kenton was in transition and on this album his orchestra had just begun it's experimentation with swing.  The first track, "23 Degrees North - 82 Degrees West" comes in with killer horns that take a bit to come together, but it works within a few seconds.  The Latin flair on that track is the most exciting part of the album, but there are other moments to explore, love the guitar lines on "Invention for Guitar and Trumpet," and the revamped ballad, "My Lady.".

As per usual, on this album Kenton's orchestra is loaded with talent, Maynard Ferguson, Lee Konitz, and Gerry Mulligan, just to name a few.  Of course, Kenton tells you all about that on the back side of the album in true douche-bag form.  The guy describes all the tracks like his work is for the better good.  But, outside of that, solid album, cover art is incredible.

23 Degrees North - 82 Degrees West