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Stan kenton's latin jazz connections
Latin Beat Magazine, May, 1999 by Max Salazar
Whoever coined the phrase "his music is ahead of its time" may have had pianist bandleader Stan Kenton in mind. For two decades beginning in 1940, Kenton recorded sounds never heard before. On a few occasions his imagination was like a time machine which soared into the future to produce the alien sounds of Thermopolae (1947), Evening In Pakistan (1950), Trajectories (1950), Mirage (1950), and City of Glass (in 3 movements-1951), to name a few. Between 1947 and 1970, the Stan Kenton Orchestra won the Downbeat, Metronome, Playboy magazine and other music polls 80% of the time. The orchestra, reverentially referred to as "The Kenton University," has a distinguished alumni roll call that includes vocalists June Christy, Chris Connors, trumpeters Shorty Rogers, Maynard Ferguson, Conte Condoli, trombonists Milt Bernhart, Kai Winding, saxophonists Art Pepper, Vido Musso, Stan Getz, Lee Konitz, Bob Cooper, Bud Shank, Boots Mussulli, bassist Eddie Safranski, drummer Shelly Manne and music orchestrators Peter Rugalo, Shorty Rogers, Johnny Richards and Chico O'Farrill.
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Between 1940 and September 18, 1976, the Kenton orchestra recorded over 300 tracks. These 78s were released on 10" LPs and subsequently on 12" LPs, which totaled 69 albums. Of the many outstanding Kenton recordings he is identified with Artistry In Rhythm (11/1/40), and his most often requested tune Intermission Riff(1/14/46).
Almost every day in the orchestra's life span is accounted for in the 727 page book, "Stan Kenton-Artistry In Rhythm," published by Creative Press, Los Angeles, California. Every recording session, date, location, tune title, and arranger is published. Every one-night performance, city location, and date is documented. There are sidemen's bios, their quotes, and 64 pages of rare photographs. More information is found in The Kenton Era recording titled Prologue Parts 1-8. It is the orchestra's history narrated by Kenton, focusing on the eight stages of the band's development. The four LPs which contain 43 recordings were released in 1955. Part one is the Prologue, in which Kenton speaks about the development of his music beginning in 1941. Then there is the mention of his musicians by name in Epilogue, Part 8, which may have inspired vocalist- bandleader Tito Rodríguez's 1965 Musicor label LP Big Band Latino: Esta es mi orquesta.
Dr. Kenton's interest in Afro-Cuban music began in January, 1946, while the Machito Orchestra appeared at Los Angeles' Club Brazil. According to Machito, "Kenton introduced himself...he heard us play Tanga and asked what type of rhythm it was. I told him we called it a rumbita, a rumba jam. He came back a few days later with his arranger Pete Rugalo and both asked Mario Bauzá and René Hernández questions about Cuban music. Kenton said it was a new sound of jazz."
During mid-1946, Bauzá decided to Latinize jazz and American pop tunes so the Machito orchestra could work the jazz clubs across the United States. There were nights in which tenor saxists Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt sat in, as well as Dizzy Gillespie. On October 16, 1946, while the Kenton Orchestra appeared at NYC's Paramount Theatre, Kenton and Rugalo witnessed a few jam sessions and were encouraged to record Latinized jazz. On February 13, 1947, the Kenton orchestra, featuring the solos of Kenton on piano, Kai Winding and Skip Layton on trombones, Chico Alvarez and Buddy Childers on trumpet, recorded Rugalo's composition and arrangement of Machito, a tribute to Frank Grillo, the New York bandleader known as Machito. On November 25, 1947, the Kenton orchestra began the first of four weeks at NYC's Century Room at the Hotel Commodore. Twenty eight popular Kenton tunes were recorded and found their way to three albums Live At The Hotel Commodore's Century Room.
On December 6, 1947, the Kenton big band congregated at the RKO Pathe Studios (formerly the Odd Fellows Temple) at 106th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues to record Rugalo's Cuban Carnival and Kenton's arrangement of The Peanut Vendor. The Latin rhythm section consisted of Machito on maracas, Carlos Vidal on conga, Jack Costanzo on bongó, and José Mangual on timbales.
Kenton recalled, "I remember the musicians, my manager, Carlos Gastel, sitting around and having a drink, and kind of celebrating our interpretation of The Peanut Vendor, and we were rather proud of it. Would you believe it?. The record was released two or three months later, and didn't do anything. It was a big disappointment to me, but after a year or two it started gaining in popularity, and over the years it's been one of our best selling records."
Two weeks later, on December 21, the same personnel recorded Rugalo's Introduction To a Latin Rhythm. The following day, the Machito rhythm section and bongocero Jack Costanzo recorded Rugalo's Bongo Riff. Bongo Riff was heard in every Latin community and Costanzo's popularity soared with Hispanics. Costanzo, of Sicilian descent, was born in Chicago on September 24, 1922. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, was honorably discharged in 1945 and taught dancing in a Beverly Hills Hotel. Mexican bandleader Bobby Ramos heard Costanzo play bongo in a jam session and added him to his rhythm section in January, 1946. From here, Costanzo worked with the Lecuona Cuban Boys, and the orchestras of Xavier Cugat, Chuy Reyes, Desi Arnaz, Pérez Prado, René Touzet, and recorded with Stan Kenton in 1947-48. He joined the Nat King Cole trio in February, 1949, remained with Cole until September, 1953. He backed Peggy Lee, Frances Faye, Judy Garland, and actress Betty Grable. He is heard on Kenton recordings The Peanut Vendor, Bongo Riff, Monotony, and Abstraction. With Nat King Cole, his bongo is heard on Calypso Blues, Lush Life and Strange. Costanzo organized his big band with wife Marda Saxon in Los Angeles, and recorded five albums. His best seller is on the GNP label entitled Mr. Bongo, which features pianist-arranger Eddie Cano and Cuban vocalist Cascarita. Costanzo's rendition of Abaniquito is for serious dancers only.
