Classics 1950

here is a gap in the Stan Kenton chronology. It begins with the ellipsis caused by the second commercial recording ban mandated by the American Federation of Musicians, which was in effect throughout most of 1948. Unable to continue making studio recordings, Kenton toured with his mammoth orchestra until he wore himself down and disbanded on December 14, only days before AFM president James C. Petrillo lifted the ban. Kenton apparently needed a break; it wasn't until February 1950 that he resumed making records for Capitol. Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra consisted of 37 players; he was now straddling a 23-piece big band plus strings. The sessions that took place in Los Angeles on February 3, 4, and 5 1950 resulted in some of Kenton's most theatrical and dramatically charged recordings; more than half of them were issued on 12" 78 rpm platters, which allowed for extended durations of between four and five minutes. Pete Rugolo's suspenseful tone poem titled "Conflict" is one of the weirdest. Scored almost as if intended for a Hollywood sci-fi movie and using elements that seem to lead directly back to Anton Webern's Opus 6, "Conflict" combines oozing, queasy tonalities with unsettling percussion, sudden blasts from startled trumpets, and an eerie wordless vocal by June Christy. Kenton also continued to experiment with Latin American-flavored jazz; Neal Hefti's "In Veradero" and Laurindo Almeida's "Mardi Gras," which tap into Brazilian traditions, feature ensemble vocals generated by members of the band and their families. With players like Art Pepper, Bud Shank and Shorty Rogers on board, 1950 turns out to be one of the better installments in the Classics Stan Kenton chronology. ~ arwulf arwulf|