Stan Kenton Music

This DVD was purchased by a Kenton fan. Kenton's band was intertwined with a short subject, thereby reducing the full effect of this orchestra. The inclusion of other big bands mimimized Kenton's exposure to a fraction of this DVD.

An essential archive with Kenton, Les Brown, Charlie Barnet and June Christie but unfortunately, no Dizzy!

I didn't realize that these were various films instead of a concert. However, I was pleased with this 40's material containing tracks from Charlie Barnet and Les Brown also.

Hard to come by material this old.

This DVD was purchased by a Kenton fan. Kenton's band was intertwined with a short subject, thereby reducing the full effect of this orchestra. The inclusion of other big bands mimimized Kenton's exposure to a fraction of this DVD.

An essential archive with Kenton, Les Brown, Charlie Barnet and June Christie but unfortunately, no Dizzy!

I didn't realize that these were various films instead of a concert. However, I was pleased with this 40's material containing tracks from Charlie Barnet and Les Brown also.

Hard to come by material this old.

Please note that your samples for listening to are not working. I have been trying to listen to "Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dawdy", and it will not play. Please check. Thank you

There's another version of Shoo-Fly-Pie by Dinah Shore. Not sure which is the one used in the Lexus commercial but I like both versions.

June Christy joined Stan Kenton's Orchestra in 1945 at the age of twenty, and in this digitally remastered CD we hear Christy's very young voice and Kenton's very loud, brassy orchestra in arrangements from 1945 - 1947. Many of the songs Christy and Kenton made so popular in the aftermath of World War II appear here, bright, brash, and full of swing, often with a thumping drum and bass accompaniment--including "Tampico," "On the Sunny Side of the Street," and "I Got the Sun in the Morning"--songs to get the toes tapping and the returning soldiers dancing.

There is nothing subtle about this album, which does not take advantage of Christy's strengths as much as it points up what she has yet to master. She and the band seem to operate on parallel planes, rather than as a unit, and although they alternate star turns throughout, Kenton's band is noticeably heavy when it is paired with Christy's young, clear voice. The best songs on the album are those which take advantage of Christy's youth--the delightful "Rika Jika Jack," as it switches keys from minor to major and back and gives Christy the chance to scat to a blues accompaniment, and another bluesy, minor-keyed song, "Curiosity," which allows her to be bright and cute.

Christy's lower range has not fully developed, at this point, and she sometimes misses low notes when she suddenly has to hit a note that is more than an octave below the range in which she has been singing. "Easy Street," "Soothe Me," and "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" are songs requiring more control than Christy has yet acquired in her lower range. Kenton is Kenton, using the full orchestra, giving his instrumental stars their chances to solo, varying his tempo, and promoting the full-out brassiness and thumping rhythm that civilians celebrating the end of the war are obviously demanding. Kenton and Christy each seem to be in their own worlds here, alternating the spotlight but not yet creating a unified sound. Mary Whipple

There's another version of Shoo-Fly-Pie by Dinah Shore. Not sure which is the one used in the Lexus commercial but I like both versions.

A lot of people will tell you that June Christy went on to record better music in the 1950s, but I prefer the excitement and verve of these big band sides recorded from 1945 to 1947. Here June is coupled with the powerful and impossibly tight Stan Kenton Orchestra, which keeps the listener engaged on ballads and up tempo numbers alike. Some are frightened by the intensity of the Kenton backing, but I never feel that it overpowers June...she more than meets the demands of the hard swingin' blasts of brass and sudden quiet parts which make the dynamics of Kenton so exciting. In fact, hearing June nail the bluesy twists and turns of these arrangements makes me wish that she had sprinkled a few more hard swingin' numbers among her later material.

As far as I've seen, this is the best single disc collection of June and Stan, as it boasts a great track list, a generous 25 tunes, and crystal clear sound. Hearing young June navigate these fantastic and innovative arrangements with the Kenton Orchestra is a real treat, and FUN as heck. I recommend this to any fan of big band, jazz, or classic pop vocals. Fans of the big band/June Christy combination should also check out June's 1962 LP, Big Band Specials, on which she joyously returns to her big band roots.

DISC ONE:

1. LET'S DANCE - BENNY GOODMAN
2. MOONLIGHT SERENADE - GLENN MILLER
3. WOODCHOPPER'S BALL - WOODY HERMAN
4. CIRBIRBIN - HARRY JAMES
5. MINNIE THE MOOCHER - CAB CALLOWAY
6. I CAN'T GET STARTED - BUNNY BERIGAN
7. ONE 0'CLOCK JUBP - COUNT BASIE
8. UNTIL THE REAL THING COMES ALONG -
ANDY KIRK AND HIS 12 CLOUDS OF JOY
9. SUMMERTIME - BOB CROSBY
10. JAZZNOCROCY - JIMMIE LUNCEFORD
11. I'M GETTING SENTIMENTAL OVER YOU
TOMMY DORSEY
12. CONTRASTS - JIMMY DORSEY
13. CHEROKEE - CHARLIE BARNET
14. SNOWFALL - CLAUDE THORNHILL
15. QUAKER CITY JAZZ - JAN SAVITT & HIS TOP HATTERS
16. ARTISTRY IN RHYTHM - STAN KENTON
17. TAKE THE "A" TRAIN - DUKE ELLINGTON
18. NIGHTMARE - ARTIE SHAW
19. FLYING HOME - LIONEL HAMPTON
20. APURKSODY - GENE KRUPA
21. LEAP FROG - LES BROWN AND HIS BAND

DISC TWO:

1. HOT LIPS - HENRY BUSSE
2. SMOKE RINGS - GLEN GRAY & THE CASA LOMA ORCH
3. BUBBLES IN THE WINE - LAWRENCE WELK
4. THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU - RAY NOBLE
5. ROSE ROOM - PHIL HARRIS
6. WHEN MY BABY SMILES AT ME - TED LEWIS
7. THE WALTZ YOU SAVED FOR ME - WAYNE KING
8. (HOW I'LL MISS YOU) WHEN THE SUMMER IS GONE -
HAL KEMP AND HIS CAROLINA CLUB ORCHESTRA
9. MY TWILIGHT DREAM - EDDY DUCHIN
10. SUGAR BLUES - CLYDE MCCOY
11. HELL'S BELLS - ART KASSEL
12. DOES YOUR HEART BEAT FOR ME - RUSS MORGAN
13. DRIFTING AND DREAMING - ORRIN TUCKER
14. RIPPLING RHYTHM - SHEP FIELDS
15. A BLUES SERENADE - HENRY KING
16. GOT A DATE WITH AN ANGEL - SKINNAY ENNIS
17. AULD LANG SYNE - GUY LOMBARDO
18. DAY DREAMS COME TRUE AT NIGHT - DICK JURGENS
19. MY SHAWL - XAVIER CUGAT
20. THINKING OF YOU - KAY KYSER
21. NOLA - VINCENT LOPEZ & HIS SUAVE SWING ORCH.