A Kenton Celebration

Description

When I was a sophomore in high school, I was able to hear Stan Kenton’s band live in the first time. It thrilled me to the core beyond words! I had chills running up my spine and tears coursing down my cheeks. I knew then that I had to play in a band like this! That inspiration carried me into a lifetime of devotion to big band jazz. When Bill Lichtenauer first invited me to take on the project of recording previously unrecorded, unreleased Kenton music from the 40’s, I imagined basically dance band music similar to Eager Beaver or the like. Oh, was I in for a surprise when we started into these early Pete Rugolo and Robert Graettinger charts.

There were tons of decisions to be made with no availability of recorded references. Most of the charts needed considerable deciphering of crossed out parts and penciled alternate passages sometimes at the bottom of the next page. Sorting through occasional wrong notes and some road map puzzles, and trying to decide tempos and tempo changes made for many tedious rehearsals and hours of experimenting. These are not your average dance band charts and are very demanding for musicians (After all, Kenton always had the top dog musicians). This project has required a full commitment, but it has truly become a labor of love and has yielded a remarkable listening experience. These recordings are a treasure trove of incredible writing–and to think that these charts were written in the late Forties and almost all have never really seen the light of day since then. This is a precious collection and I hope it will serve as an expression to Stan Kenton of my love and appreciation for the inspiration he provided to me as a young man and countless other musicians. May our memories of Stan and the exceptional creativity of his very gifted arranging staffs live on through the decades.

– Ray Smith Director