Jazz Articles

The Four Freshmen: The Four Freshmen and Live Trombones

by Robert J. Robbins
December 31, 2009

Over six decades ago, four undergraduates at Indiana's Butler University first joined their voices in song as The Four Freshmen and, in 1950, the quartet was heard by Stan Kenton, on whose trombone section the “Frosh" had modeled their sound. Kenton immediately demanded that the group be signed by his label, Capitol, and began an association which lasted over fifteen years. During that time, the Four Freshmen blossomed into a vocal group whose influence ranged from the Beach Boys to ...