Celebrating the 100th birthday centennial of Stan Kenton in 2011, this almost 2 hour documentary film by award winning jazz filmmaker Graham Carter, produced in association with the Los Angeles Jazz Institute, provides an in-depth look at Kenton's almost 40 years as a big band leader.
Note: This is a Region 0 (multi-region) DVD and is playable in all Region 1 (NTSC) locations including the United States and Canada. It is also playable in other regions WITH MULTI REGION PLAYER CAPABILITY.
Artist(s)/Title:
Stan Kenton DVD documentary: Artistry in Rhythm - Portrait of a Jazz Legend
Stan Kenton is acknowledged as one of the pioneers in developing contemporary big band jazz, with a career as band leader starting in the 1940's and lasting through the late 1970's. Kenton was also responsible for helping bring to fame many jazz stars including June Christy, Maynard Ferguson, and Lee Konitz. Many great arrangers wrote for the Kenton band including Bill Holman, Bill Russo, Lennie Niehaus, Gerry Mulligan, and Pete Rugolo.
Kenton was a leader in combining Afro-Cuban rhythms with big band jazz in America in the late 1940s. The "Progressive" era of Kenton jazz introduced various elements of modern classical music to the big band jazz setting. His "Innovations" orchestra of the early 1950s offered up a touring band combining jazz and classical music elements and featured soon to be worldwide jazz stars including Maynard Ferguson, Bud Shank, and Shorty Rogers. Kenton was instrumental in the formation of jazz education starting in the late 1950s. The 1960s brought further development of additional instrumentation to the band with the "Mellophonium" sound, and later many works written for the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra. Kenton continued leading bands through the changing times of the rock influenced late 1960s and 1970's.
Producer & Director Graham Carter has interviewed many people connected with Stan Kenton's life and career including Howard Rumsey, Dr. Herb Wong, JoAnn Kenton, Audree Kenton, Peter Erskine, Carl Saunders, Joel Kaye, Mike Vax, Bill Holman, and Jack Costanzo.
Many famous Stan Kenton Orchestra film and television performances have been included from the big band era of the 1940s through the late 1970s. A large collection of audio music performances are included in the film showcasing the various Kenton bands and their renowned soloists.
DVD includes over 20 people interviewed about Stan Kenton's career, and over 20 television and movie performances of the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Also includes over 300 photos and images from Kenton's almost 40 year jazz music career and rare taped interviews with Stan Kenton.
Total Viewing Time 117:00
Production
Graham Carter Producer & Director
