Pianist Stan Kenton was not only one of the last great bandleaders to emerge during the big band era, he was also one of the most controversial, consistently going against the musical grain of the day. Although many jazz purists dismissed his work as an aberration of the popular swing bands of the day, the wrought emotional power of his bands with their strident walls of brass made others consider him a visionary, who changed perceptions of jazz.
Originally from Wichita, Kansas, he mostly grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Bell, and was taught piano in his teens by local musician Frank Hurst, drawing further inspiration from Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines. By his mid-teens he was already playing in local diners and leading his own group, the Bell-Tones. It led him to play with various local bands in Southern California, notably Everett Hoagland and, later, Gus Arnheim. He formed his own first big band in 1941 working as Bob Hope's radio backing band for a period, earning a contract with Capitol Records and his first successful record, 'Eager Beaver'. He went on to record for Capitol for the next 25 years.
At various times his orchestra included Art Pepper, Stan Getz and singers Anita O'Day and June Christy, resulting in hits like 'Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying', 'And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine', 'Tapioca' and 'Laura' the theme song from the movie of the same name. Calling his music progressive jazz, Kenton was intent on shifting away from the old dance big bands and created a concert orchestra using a barrage of trombonists to put his radical ideas into operation. To this end he assembled his controversial 39-piece Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra, involving strings, woodwind, French horns, Latin rhythms and classical influences and the 1953 album 'New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm' is considered one of his most significant works. 'Cuban Fire!' (1956), drawing heavily on Latin styles and the compositions of Johnny Richards, similarly brought him a new audience.
After a period of decline in the rock & roll era, Kenton re-launched his orchestra in 1960, introducing a mellophonium (a three-valved brass instrument pitched between trumpet and trombone) section which established a more symphonic style on the album 'The Romantic Approach', the first of eleven LPs utilising the sound. He continued to pursue his progressive jazz ideology through the 1960s, changing direction again in the '70s as he attempted to appeal to a younger market. He died in 1979 following a stroke.
