Five-Star Collection... Stan Kenton

Stan Kenton And His Orchestra

New Concepts Of Artistry In Rhythm

The format for this album was sketched by Kenton himself, and his staff arrangers have developed and interpreted his ideas with rare skill and understanding. New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm is a tribute to these men of the modern school whose stature is ever increasing. It is their ingenuity and creative ability that is directing the course of tomorrow's music.

The intense imagination of Stan Kenton gave pulsing life to Artistry in Rhythm more than ten years ago, and today the freshest and most stimulating ideas of modern music are still in his work — in his New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm.

Throughout the ten years of the Kenton Orchestra's life its music has gradually changed — with accumulated knowledge, experimentation, and association — to bring the listener an ever fresh approach.

This album discloses even more exciting developments in the orchestra's brilliant sound. Masterful musicians like first trumpeter Buddy Childers, first trombonist Bob Burgess, first saxophonist Vinnie Dean, and drummer Stan Levey give it the mark of their personalities; and above all stands the dynamic quality of Stan Kenton, inspiring his orchestra and, indeed, a whole profession — carrying the vibrant message of his music to hosts of eager listeners everywhere. *(from the liner notes)*

This is the New Concepts LP, and it might well have been called Artistry in Russo, for Bill wrote five of these seven originals. First title, which your atlas will show you means Havana, starts with a startling and highly entertaining piece of writing for the trombones, with the Latin rhythm and the unison reeds easing in, followed by unison trumpets. Blood, the swingingest side of the whole set, was penned by Gerry Mulligan, indicates that Stan needs bigger doses of Mulligan in his books.

The Count (Conte Candoli) is well framed in his portrait; the Invention for Sal Salvador and Maynard Ferguson was written by tenor man Bill Holman. Improvisation, the longest and most ambitious number of the set, has some of the most brilliant Russo writing as he used it is the one we enjoyed the least, for its qualities are neurotic and depressing.

The Frank who speaks is trombonist Rosolino, and although he doesn't speak as freely and happily as he used to with Georgie Auld's quintet, this is an effective jazz horn concerto and swings more than the other Russo items. My Lady is addressed by Lee Konitz' alto in attractively melancholy tones. *(Down Beat, Chicago, May 6, 1953 [5 stars])*

1 - 23° N — 82° W

(Bill Russo)

2 - Portait Of A Count

(Bill Russo)

3 - Improvisation

(Bill Russo)

4 - Invention For Guitar And Trumpet

(Bill Holman)

5 - My Lady

(Bill Russo)

6 - Young Blood

(Gerry Mulligan)

7 - Frank Speaking

(Bill Russo)

Buddy Childers, Maynard Ferguson, Conte Candoli, Don Dennis, Ruben McFall (trumpets); 

Bob Burgess, Frank Rosolino, Keith Moon, Bill Russo (trombones); 

George Roberts (bass trombone); Vinnie Dean, Lee Konitz (alto saxes); 

Richie Kamuca, Bill Holman (tenor saxes); Bob Gioga (baritone sax);

Sal Salvador (guitar); Stan Kenton (piano);  Don Bagley (bass); 

Stan Levey (drums), Denon Kenneth Walton (bongos [#1]).

Recorded at Universal Studios "A", Chicago, Illinois, September 10 (#2, #6, #7),

September 11 (#1), September 15 (#4, #5) and September 16 (#3), 1952

Dennis Farnon - Caution! Men Swinging

Dennis Farnon was born in 1923 in Toronto, Canada as John Denis Farnon to Robert and Elsie Farnon (née Menzies). He grew up in a musical family, and learned to play the trumpet at age 12. Through his older brother Robert, he enlisted into the Canadian Army Band, also travelling to Europe to entertain the Allied troops during the last years of the war. In his mid-20s, he moved to Chicago where he played in jazz clubs and pursued studies in conducting, arranging, and orchestration, strongly influenced by the works of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, Béla Bartók and Sergey Prokofiev.

Several years later, he accepted an invitation to Hollywood as musical director for singer Johnny Holiday, and he stayed, continuing to compose, conduct and arrange. In 1956, he was tapped by RCA Records to head their West Coast A&R and signed on as producer, arranger and recording artist. During that time, the Dennis Farnon Orchestra recorded numerous albums, including Magoo in Hi-Fi, over 10 episodes of Mr Magoo cartoon shorts, Chet Atkins in Hollywood, Velvet Carpet with The George Shearing's Quintet, The Enchanted Woods, Songs From The Motion Picture Gigi, While My Lady Sleeps with Phineas Newborn Jr., and Caution! Men Swinging.

This roaring, vibrant album has all the drive, sparkle and vibrancy that characterized swing big bands in their heyday, plus imaginative new ideas. Not only is the swing youthful, but Dennis Farnon's own musical imagination has also brought it up to date and added new lustre and meaning to the idiom. Caution! Men Swinging stands out for its precision and powerhouse sound of the brass and sax sections in the overall set, arranged and conducted by Canadian Dennis Farnon. In addition, there is ample room for solo blowing by Don Fagerquist, who plays all the jazz trumpet; pianists Lou Levy and Jimmy Rowles, guitarist Howard Roberts, tenor Ted Nash, plus the superb lead trumpet work of Frank Beach and George Roberts' bass trombone very present at all times. This 1957 album was the only jazz LP Farnon recorded in his entire career and, possibly thinking he could hardly have surpassed it, he devoted his work primarily to writing arrangements and conducting for pop singers. Enjoy this fantastic swinging big band session! *Jordi Pujol*

Back in the 1950s, as the Big Band Era was slowly dying, the money for musicians was to be made in the studios, with alumni from Herman, Rogers and Kenton playing for TV shows and movies in order to pay off their mortgages in  the San Fernando Valley. Here are a couple swinging albums from Hollywood in the swinging Eisenhower Years.

Canadian conductor Dennis Farron leads a 1957 studio orchestra that includes Pete Condoli/tp, Ted Nash/ts, Bob Enevoldsen/vtb, Howard Roberts/g, Jimmy Rowles-Lou Levy/p and Alvin Stoller/dr for a mix of originals and standards. They sound like a background sound track for a film noir on the swaggering "Caution! Men Swinging" while the muted horns sway on "Lover Come Back To Me". West Coast Cool moods dominate "Why Don’t You Do Right" while big brass is bold on "Just You, Just Me" with the team sounding like Kenton on the hard hitting "Three Little Words". Bright primary colors. *George W. Harris*

Side 1

1 - Caution! Men Swinging

(Dennis Farnon)

2 - Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year

(Frank Loesser)

3 - Lover Come Back To Me

(Oscar Hammerstein, Sigmund Romberg)

4 - Shoo-Shoo Baby

(Phil Moore)

5 - Just You, Just Me

(Jessie Greer, Raymond Klages)

Side 2

06 - Isle Of Capri

(Wilhelm Grosz, James Kennedy)

07 - South Of The Border

(M. Beresford, J. B. Kennedy)

08 - It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

(Duke Ellington, Irving Mills)

09 - Why Don't You Do Right

(Joe McCoy)

10 - Three Little Words

(Harry Ruby)

11 - Resume Speed

(Dennis Farnon)

Pete Candoli, Frank Beach, Don Fagerquist, Paul Geil (trumpets); Tommy Pederson, Joe Howard (trombones); Bob Enevoldsen (valve trombone); George Roberts (bass trombone); Jack Dumont, Brian Farnon (alto saxes); Ted Nash, Gene Cipriano (tenor saxes); Chuck Gentry (baritone sax); Howard Roberts (guitar); Jimmy Rowles [#1, #2, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9], Lou Levy [#3, #4, #10, #11] (pianos); Cliff Hills (bass); Alvin Stoller (drums).

Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California, May 30, 1957.