From late August to late September of 1953, Stan Kenton embarked on one of the great European tours of his career. His hard-charging New Concepts band—formed in 1952 to feature his brassy wall-of-sound vision that showcased the bombastic and seductive personalities of individual soloists—was electrifying. The musicianship of each chair in the band was hair-raising when combined with the swinging and moody arrangements.
Kenton's 20-person road band in the late summer of '53 consisted of Buddy Childers, Conte Candoli, Don Dennis, Don Smith and Vic Minichiello (tp); Bob Burgess, Frank Rosolino and Keith Moon (tb); Bill Russo (tb,arr); Bill Smiley (b-tb)l; Dave Schildkraut and Lee Konitz (as); Bill Holman (ts,arr); Zoot Sims (ts); Tony Ferina (bar); Stan Kenton (p,arr); Barry Galbraith (g); Don Bagley (b); Stan Levey (d) and June Christy (vcl). [Photo above of Conte Candoli]
The band made stops in nine countries, including Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ireland and France (Paris). Britain was excluded because the musicians' union there banned performances by foreign artists in an effort to ensure steady employment for U.K. musicians. [Photo above of Stan Kenton and vocalist June Christy arriving in Hamburg in 1953]
As you can hear on Artistry in Paris, a recording that documents the band's performance in the French capital on Sept. 18, the reception was thunderous, which was surprising. Parisian fans tended to favor older, more melancholy jazz. But the modern, savage attacks by Kenton's band and the aggression of individual soloists brought wild cheers. Kenton was taken aback. He assumed Paris would be the new band's toughest sell. But if ever an orchestra's sound reflected America's upbeat, can-do personality at a moment in time, it was this one. Duke Ellington's and Glenn Miller's orchestras in the 1940s perfectly captured the country's reflective, poetic wistfulness, and Count Basie's orchestra in the late 1950s and early '60s would reflect the country's chrome-dipped finger-snapping self-assuredness.
In 1953, the Kenton band's wide-bodied blasts and sizzle was a musical snapshot of Southern California's suburban spaciousness and possibilities. The band's sunny daring was evident in Conte Candoli's trumpet solos on Round Robin and Portrait of a Count, Lee Konitz's dry alto-sax solo on In Lighter Vein and Frank Rosolino's fleshy trombone solo on Frank Speaking. You can hear the crowd's roaring response to the energy and cool at the close of each song. [Photo above of Lee Konitz]
Kenton's band in 1953 wasn't an orchestra as much as it was a gallery of star individualists. Kenton wanted it this way, and he took great pride in showing them off and introducing each band-member. Up until Kenton's New Concepts orchestra, most bandleaders barely acknowledged the singular contributions of their orchestra's musicians. If they did, the announced pat on the back was delivered almost grudgingly. As you can hear, Kenton couldn't wait to announce each member and did so with a booming confidence. As this recording shows, Parisians were only too eager to show their appreciation for America's emerging art and its past service just eight years after the Continent's liberation. The band's California cool was a bonus.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Stan Kenton's Artistry in Paris (Jasmine), a two-CD set, here.
JazzWax clips: Here's the 1953 Kenton band on the same tour, live in Berlin, playing Gerry Mulligan's Swing House...
Here's Conte Candoli playing Round Robin, arranged by Shorty Rogers...
Here's Lee Konitz playing In Lighter Vein, arranged by Bill Holman...
And here's June Christy singing How High the Moon, arranged by Pete Rugolo...
A special thanks to David Langner.
