Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Stan Kenton Orchestra: Odyssey 1951-68

109

The Stan Kenton Orchestra: Odyssey 1951-68

By

View read count
The Stan Kenton Orchestra: Odyssey 1951-68
The Kenton Orchestra’s Odyssey, comprising previously unreleased concert dates from 1951–68, was assembled from various sources (audio tapes) by John Loeffler’s superb Astral Jazz label, which already has given Kenton partisans the orchestra’s definitive in–person recording, the magnificent Live at Keesler Air Force Base, 1958, and at least three other superlative concerts by the unrivaled Kenton ensemble. If Odyssey doesn’t quite parallel Keesler, it comes so close that scarcely anyone who admires Kenton’s super–charged modus operandi will be in the least disheartened. Overlooking all other aspects, the cadre of composers, arrangers and soloists alone makes Odyssey an indispensable adjunct to any Kenton enthusiast’s library. Among the more celebrated composers and / or arrangers are Manny Albam, Neal Hefti, Bill Russo, Gerry Mulligan, Bill Holman, Gene Roland, Lennie Niehaus, Bill Perkins, Johnny Richards and Stan himself, while the more prominent soloists include saxophonists Perkins, Niehaus, Art Pepper, Zoot Sims, Davey Schildkraut, Don Rendell, Bill Trujillo, Gabe Baltazer, Steve Marcus and Billy Root; trombonists Bob Fitzpatrick, Kent Larsen, Carl Fontana, Archie LeCoque and Jiggs Whigham (sorry, no Frank Rosolino); trumpeters Sam Noto, Rolf Ericson and Bud Brisbois, and Kenton at the piano. Bassists Don Bagley, Curtis Counce, Red Kelly, Scott LaFaro and John Worster keep flawless time, and drummers Shelly Manne, Stan Levey, Mel Lewis, Jerry McKenzie and Dee Barton accentuate the orchestra’s explosive temperament. Highlights (we could single out almost every number) include Mulligan’s “Swing House” and “Young Blood,” Holman’s “Carl” (for Fontana), “Theme and Variations” and “Kingfish,” his arrangements of “Yesterdays,” “Cherokee,” “Granada” and “Stella by Starlight,” Roland’s fugue–like take on “Bernie’s Tune,” Russo’s “Solitaire,” Joe Coccia’s “Nightingale“ (LeCoque’s ’bone feature), Kenton’s “Concerto to End All Concertos” (with a sublime chorus by Sims) and “Artistry in Rhythm," Roland's unruffled "Opus in Chartreuse" and "Blues Story," Richards' passionate "Cuban Fire" medley, and trumpeter Ray Wetzel's memorable head arrangement, "Intermission Riff," all performed under the big top without benefit of a safety net. For those who prize Kenton's marvelous road bands from the early '50s to late '60s, here's another treasure from the bounteous Astral Jazz storehouse.

John Loeffler, Astral Jazz, P. O. Box 9, Gardner, CO 81040. (phone 719–746–2011; fax 719–746–2071). [email protected]

Track Listing

Disc 1

Personnel

Kenton, leader, piano, conductor. A

Album information

Title: Odyssey 1951-68 | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Astral Jazz

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Eternal Moments
Yoko Yates
From "The Hellhole"
Marshall Crenshaw
Tramonto
John Taylor

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.