Search - Stan Kenton :: Stompin at Newport

Kenton swings live

Jon Warshawsky | San Diego, CA USA | 07/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It has been said elsewhere that Stan Kenton is an acquired taste, hit or miss, etc. Kenton's Stompin' At Newport would have to be on the 'hit' side of the equation, because it is likely to appeal to nearly anyone who appreciates superb big band jazz. Kenton leads some familiar band members (and some less familiar) through a well-chosen set of generally uptempo tunes that most of his fans would consider favorites or at least classics. If this is not Kenton's best lineup (Lee Konitz, for one, is absent), it is still strong and sounds very much to be playing as a team. Five stars for the music on this previously unreleased (according to the liner notes) album.Shortcomings? I noticed this set was not released on Kenton's Capitol Records label and after a few listenings I am convinced this is because Capitol did not want to release an album that sounds as though it was recorded through a piece of cloth. Monoaural recordings always sound a bit thin compared to later stereo, but very high quality mono (such as Capitol's other early 1950s Kenton albums, for example Easy Go) has a way of making the listener forget about stereo for an hour or so. With Kenton's Newport album, you will not forget that the live recording does not live up to contemporary studio -- and even some contemporary live -- recordings. Ellington's 1956 Newport concert, for example, seems to positively leap out at the listener, making the present recording pale in comparison. My five-star rating applies to the music. The recording quality is something less. However, given that our choice seems to be this or nothing, I hesitate to dissuade anyone from buying the album on the basis of the second-rate recording. The 1959 Sinatra/Red Norvo concert on Blue Note is a couple of notches worse, but the music pulls me in anyway. Just pretend you're listening to AM.Recommended as great music, despite a few concessions to the recording technology of 50 years ago."

Kenton on Fire

John Tapscott | Canada | 06/14/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stan Kenton generally preferred to have his orchestra record in the studio, where the sound could be balanced and the performances made impeccably perfect. Certainly many of Kenton's studio recordings are masterpieces, but long-time Kenton fans often detect a fire and intensity to the band's live performances which was never quite recreated in the studos. This 53 minute CD, recorded live at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival by Norman Granz is a prime example. Beginning with the opening "The Opener" to the closing "The Big Chase", this is an intense and focussed performance by a very hot band. Even the ballads, "Everything Happens to Me" and "The End of a Love Affiar" are bursting at the seams with tightly controlled energy. Tenor saxophonist Bill Perkins' reading of "Yesterdays" is the best version I've heard of this classic Bill Holman chart. Bill Russo's 23'N, 82' W just smokes, driven along by the Latin rhythms Kenton loved. The band's main soloists, saxophonists Perkins and Lennie Niehaus, trumpeter Sam Noto, and trombonist Kent Larsen are in prime form, perhaps inspired by the band's excellent new drummer, Jerry McKenzie.

One could quibble with my rating and say that the mono sound is not of 5 star quality, which it really isn't, though it's clear, well-balanced and generally very acceptable. But the music here is so exceptional and exciting that any minor quibbles are quickly dissolved. This CD is highly recommended and confirms once again why Kenton was such a giant on the American big band jazz scene. Though he often kept his piano playing in the background Kenton was a magnificent bandleader, inspiring his musicians to great heights and in the process, bringing great joy to his appreciative listeners, both then and now."

Not exactly a sound investment

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 04/25/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Despite other reviewers' enthusiasm for the music per se, the audio quality of this "long lost" session leaves a lot to be desired--perhaps too much if you're not a Kenton fan to start with. What's particularly irking on the Fantasy label is the prior promotion of the album as having sound vastly superior to all of the inferior bootlegged Kenton sessions (many on European labels). A major problem is the extreme separation of the soloists from the rest of the band. In most cases, they sound as though they're playing in a separate studio, and the results aren't particularly flattering to either the soloist or the ensemble. Moreover, the acoustic bass notes are often non-defined, pitchless rumbles. Perhaps the tape was too deteriorated to be restored, but one wonders if the engineers at Columbia/Sony couldn't have done much better in mixing and remastering the original tapes. After the Ellington at Newport '56 reissue (in true stereo!), I'm convinced those guys can work miracles."