Stan Kenton and his orch. - OPUS IN PASTELS

[Tech470]

You all don't know it yet but, "I'm the foremost expert on Kenton!"

[ber776]

Seção de saxes, c/ rítmo. Clássico.

[agnusize]

Tenho o arranjo original, editado na época, completo. Espetacular Sax Quinteto

[MrNtelsa]

the lead sax player ended up being a teacher of music at east boston high school in boston. He pass on last year and they didn't know he was the lead sax player in this song. A great talent going waste, his music will live forevere

[hepcat2009]

To didymus46, I kindly correct you again. I too grew up on "Kenton in Hi-Fi" which does not include "Pastels." Not to boast, but most fans recognise me as the leading authority on Kentonia since I did write a book on him and am working on a sequel. To answer kaunasprince, 2 of the 7 saxes seen in the photo here were actually Stan's trumpeters (in the earlier '42 band). They were likely added for visual enhancement...which really seemed to work, I think.

[kaunasprince]

7 saxes? What's with that?

[HarunConn]

ich hau euch gleich allen in die Fresse!!!!!!!!

[hepcat2009]

Actually, Opus in Pastels (written in 1940 for his original rehearsal band) did not appear on the '56 "Kenton in Hi-Fi" album. It was redone with strings on "Lush Interlude LP in '58 and again in '63 for a bossa nova take. My favorite version (updated and improved) was on the "Live in London" Decca 2LP set from 1972.

[didymus46]

You are simply wrong. I have Kenton in Hi-Fi (purchased in the late 50s) and Opus In Pastels is on it. A simple check of the internet will confirm what I am saying.

And to the "saxophiles" here: whatever "the WHOLE idea" was in the 1940s, by the 50s Kenton had moved on. And frankly, I think he probably knew he would never have the wind section that Woody Herman had anyway. Play to your strengths, I always say.

[wadeharris65]

@didymus46

I, too, have the "Kenton in Hi-Fi" album from the '50's, and "Opus In Pastels" is NOT on the album. The CD reissue of KinHiFi contains a later recording of "Opus..." that is arranged for strings.

[didymus46]

This was redone and much better on "Kenton in HiFi". Sorry, guys, it just needed some brass! Seriously, though, if you remember that this was composed c. 1946, it is stunning in its vision. Ten years later this was still considered "progressive" big band jazz.  And what a group of sidemen he had!

[browndog2233]

lord man...the WHOLE idea of this piece was to show the work of the wind section...

[rickyrudolph1]

Stan originally wrote this as an exercise

fore his sax section to practice closeness

[marksa99362]

An interesting fact about this chart is that Kenton himself did the arrangement. Wish he had done more in that vein.

[kidkitna]

Love this song. Remember playing it in high school. Prolly one of my most favorite tones of all time.

[fastflyer2007]

Excellent - quality is very good behind the scratches and surface noise.

[nonkig3]

この５本のサックスのハーモニーいいですね。厚みがあってそれで­いて適度に甘い。スーパー・サックスはこのあたりを手本にしたの­かも知れないですね。