Stan Kenton: From the Creative World of Stan Kenton Comes A Merry Christmas! (Remastered + Expanded) CD Track Listing

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Stan Kenton From the Creative World of Stan Kenton Comes A Merry Christmas! (Remastered + Expanded) (1961)
Originally released on October 16, 1961\nCD Edition Released August 16, 1990\nRemastered + Expanded CD Edition Released September 16, 2003\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: When bandleader Stan Kenton was approached to record an album of holiday music in 1961 he agreed, on one condition -- no songs about singing snowmen or flying reindeer. The resulting album, A Merry Christmas, is a polyphonic masterpiece that is at once progressive and traditional. Included are such well-known classics as "O Tannenbaum" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" as well as lesser known gems like "The Holly and the Ivy" and "Once in Royal David's City." Featuring Kenton's idiosyncratic style of arranging piercing trumpets over a wooly blanket of trombones and mellophones, this is beautiful, forward-thinking and angular music that addresses both complex classical harmony and Basie-style swing. Epitomizing this is the intricate and delicate harmonic dissonance on "O Come, All Ye Faithful," a must-hear for Kentonites. As a bonus, the album includes Kenton regular trumpeter Maynard Ferguson's stellar 1960 medley "Christmas for Moderns," which features the high-note master's hip takes on such other holiday nuggets as "White Christmas and "Jingle Bells." Fans should also get a kick out of Kenton's humorous 1963 spoken word piece "What Is Santa Claus?." -- Matt Collar\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: A hit album from 1961, it's a definite Kenton collectible. -- David A. Milberg\n\nHalf.com Album Credits\nLee Gillette, Producer\n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Stan Kenton (piano), Ernie Bernhardt, Austin Brisbois, Larry McGuire, Bob Rolfe, Sanford Skinner, Dalton Smith (trumpets), Bob Fitzpatrick, Paul Heydorff, Robert Knight, Tom Shepard (trombones), Jim Amlotte, Dave Wheeler (bass trombones), Clive Acker, Albert Pollan (tubas), Joe Burnett, Dwight Carver, Gordon Davison, Keith LaMotte, Gene Roland (mellophoniums), Pete Chivily (bass), Jerry McKenzie (drums), Art Anton, Larry Bunker (percussion).\n\nOriginally released on October 16, 1961. Digitally remastered by Bob Norberg (June 1990, Capitol Recording Studios).\n\nDown Beat (01/01/1990)\n3 Stars - Good - ...jumps out of the speakers and bowls one over with brass, brass, and more brass...\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nThe All-Time BEST Big-Band Christmas Album!!!, August 17, 2004\nReviewer: C. Law "Charlie Law" (Las Vegas, NV USA)\nOkay, I'm trying to be "subjective" here, but it's pretty tough for this album, since it's a very special favorite of mine!...The analogy would be if there were an album like, for example, "John Coltrane Plays The All-Time Great Sax Solos," or "Elvis Sings The Greatest Country Songs Ever." Stan Kenton does a whole album of great instrumental Christmas music here with the famed "Mellophonium Band" of the early 60's. \n\nThe band is dynamite: Bud Brisbois, Dalton Smith, Sanford Skinner, Ernie Bernhardt, Larry McGuire & Bob Rolfe, trumpets; Joe Burnett, Dwight Carver, Gordon Davison, Keith LaMotte & Gene Roland on mellophones; Bob Fitzpatrick, Bob Knight, Tom Shepard, Paul Heydorff, Jim Amlotte & Dave Wheeler on trombones; Clive Acker & Albert Pollan, tuba, with Jerry McKenzie on drums; Pete Chivily, bass; Art Anton & Larry Bunker on percussion; and of course, Stan on piano!! (This was written stictly for brass, rhythm & extra percussion, no saxophones). \n\nThe arrangements are absolutely stellar,too, done by Stan Kenton and Ralph Carmichael (yes, the very same Ralph Carmichael who 10 years later would lend his talents to a new gospel record label and help propel Bill Gaither and others to fame as gospel artists with Word Records). Some of them swing, and some are pretty traditional, but all with that Kenton harmony, that is best described by the words of my late father, "The guys that wrote these carols never heard those chords!" Carmichael was already well-known for his writing for radio and studio recordings, and his collaboration with Stan Kenton made for a really great session. I still can't listen to anyone else do these Christmas songs without hearing these arrangements going through my mind...blowing away someone else's idea of what they thought they should sound like...these charts are timeless and classic. I had to settle for a used LP to replace my own worn-out copy a few years back, because this was out of print. Luckily, it's available again right now, and The Capitol Bones Big Band has also re-recorded these gems on their Christmas album, "A Stan Kenton Christmas" (directed by ex-Kentonite Mark Taylor). You should add that one to your collection also...it has a couple of bonus tracks you'll dig! \n\nTony Scodwell, who led the 1962-63 mellophone section, still has these arrangements, and the "West Side Story" charts as well, and lives here in Las Vegas, so one of my fondest wishes is to do a "Stan Kenton West Side Story Christmas" concert with all of the Kenton alumni and fans here and include all of the music from the Christmas and West Side Story albums. (I'm working on him--even for a labor of love, it's a huge proposition!) \n\nSo grab your own copy of this quick, while it's still in print!! If you don't, you'll have those indelible footprints on your backside!! Even if you're a Hindu or Buddhist, you'll still be playing this every year for the holidays and thrilling your family and friends with the some of the absolute best instrumental music that was ever recorded. You're gonna love this one!!\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nBurnished Brass Holiday Style, December 6, 2003 \nReviewer: M. B Hazen "Madge Bruner Hazen" (Jacksonville, Fla.)\nWhen I first became acquainted with Stan Kenton (1960s), I was a brass enthusiast, savoring works of Gabrieli in antiphonal settings to the contemporary, including "Chicago". Stan Kenton's arrangements,in his catalogue at that time, were constructed so each instrumental line would weave to prominence then fall back into the mix, or then form a smooth fabric of tightly-knit sound. Kenton's musical arrangers were absolutely top drawer.\n"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" from Stan Kenton's Big Band came out in the late 60s when I had just gone through one of those life-altering experiences. So Christmas wasn't very merry, jolly, or anything else. I collect Christmas music, and without much thought, picked up a copy for my collection.\nThe spicy, smooth, and intelligent arrangements of the most classic of Christmas carols just hit the right notes. Kenton's brassy carols with soaring trumpets and percussion punctuation were handled so nicely I forgot my pain and revelled in the satisfaction I derived from Stan Kenton's Big Band. (To be certain I would never be without, I bought a second copy of the LP on Kenton's own label.)\nJust recently I found, much to my amazement, a CD release of that beloved album. Now, after 30 years, and countless collections of lots of varities of Christmas music flowing through my head, I again listened to the Kenton reissue. It was fresh, excellent remastering, full, and superbly engineered. How very delighted I was, needless to say, to find a release of those favorite carols in such a red and gold presentation remaining so timeless and satisfying. In my musical mind, Kenton's Christmas album (Capitol)stands out today as one of the very brightest collections of Christmas carols ever unwrapped and savored.\nHope you can find one for your very own!\n\nHalf.com Album Credits (Remastered + Expanded CD Edition)\nJaki Byard, Contributing Artist\nJimmy Rowles, Contributing Artist\nJoe Farrell With Art Pepper, Contributing Artist\nMaynard Ferguson/His Orchestra, Contributing Artist\nSlide Hampton, Contributing Artist\nLee Gillette, Producer\nTeddy Reig, Producer\n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Stan Kenton (spoken vocals, piano, celeste); Lanny Morgan (alto saxophone); Joe Farrell, Willie Maiden (tenor saxophone); Frank Hitner (baritone saxophone); Maynard Ferguson, Chet Ferretti, Jerry Tyree (trumpet); Bob Fitzpatrick, Paul Heydorff, Robert Knight, Tom Shepard (trombone); Jimmy Rowles (piano); Charlie Saunders, Hy Lesnick, Pete Chivily (bass); Rufus Jones (drums, bells); Jerry Lestock McKenzie, Art Anton, Frank Carlson (drums); Larry Bunker, Emil Richards (percussion, bells).\n\nRecorded at Capitol Studios, Goldwyn Sound Stage, Los Angeles, Caifornia and Capitol Studios, New York, New York between October 14, 1960 & April 11, 1963. \nOriginally released on Capitol (1621).
This jazz cd contains 13 tracks and runs 41min 33sec.
Freedb: a109bb0d

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Stan Kenton: From the Creative World of Stan Kenton Comes A Merry Christmas! (Remastered + Expanded) CD Track Listing

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