Stan Kenton - Somewhere

A recording of the legendary Stan Kenton Jazz Orchestra during the 1960 -- 1963 period when Stan Kenton had Conn 16E Mellophoniums in his orchestra. Mellophoniums are traditional "French horn style" mellophones with their bells straighten out to allow the sound of the horn to project directly towards the audience. Contrary to popular belief Stan Kenton was neither the inventor nor a collaborator in the invention of the mellophonium, which was an instrument already in existence for many years. Some members of the orchestra, because of the horn's poor intonation and blaring tone, poorly received the mellophonium. However these issues were mainly the result of mellophonium players using cornet mouthpieces which are far too small and shallow for a mellophone instrument, a practice Stan Kenton quickly put a stop to. When the players switch to standard mellophone mouthpieces with diameters reaching 19mm and larger many of the issues with the horn became manageable and produced a unique tone that fitted perfectly between the saxophones, trumpets and trombones. The mellophonium is closely related to the marching mellophones used in corps, marching bands and jazz groups today. While marching mellophones are superior to the mellophoniums in many ways they still carry some of the hallmark issues that the mellophonium had such as tricky intonation and difficult tone control.

Note: Being a mellophone/mellophonium/marching mellophone player I encourage as many teachers, instructors and marching mellophone players to listen to the Stan Kenton mellophonium sound and try using alto horn mouthpieces (which are just traditional mellophone mouthpieces with trumpet shanks) in an attempt to help keep the Kenton sound alive.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Stan
• Kenton
• Mellophonium
• Mellophone
• Jazz
• Orchestra
• Somewhere

[BradEQ4]

I bought a mellophonium just because they were used in the Stan Kenton Orchestra. The tuning is terrible. I now see why the mellophonium players were usually out of tune.

[malawolf85]

Yeah I got a Reynolds ML - 12 Mellophonium and the intonation was horrible. However with months of using the same horn/mouthpiece combination while practicing with a tuner I got the horn about 80% in tune. The brand of mellophonium you get matters a lot. The best mellophonium out there in my opinion is the Holton M602 Marching Mellophonium. It plays in tune about as good as an intermediate trumpet. Yet regardless of what horn you get the work you put in is worth getting that Kenton sound!

[jemiller226]

They used Conns on the Kenton band, but a lot of the intonation problems were as a result of sticking trumpet mouthpieces in the things and expecting them to work properly. Just because they fit in the lead pipe doesn't mean they're meant acoustically for the horn!

[malawolf85]

Which is why I use and promote the use of Alto Horn mouthpieces =) Its hard to find Conn 16Es in good shape which is why I went with a Reynolds ML - 12 Mellophonium. The built in rotary that allows you to change keys on the fly is awesome but I feel it compromises the already bad intonation of a Mellophonium. However with patience I found I can control the bad intonation pretty well but playing the modem Marching Mellophones for me is hard because they blow very tight and restrictive to me.

[donhartmus]

And what is so poor about the arrangement? Tastes are subjective, I know, but let's discuss this and we all might learn something. The arrangement's not anywhere near bad enough for you to merely blow it off like that.

[GutpileCharlie]

I was a music major...trumpet...always like to play trombone though. Saw Kenton a couple of times live in 1962 and 1963. I fell in love with the "sound". Always wish I had tried the mellophone.

[OKALS3]

Guy I played trumpet with in Jr. High played on this. Marvin Stamm, he hit the big time. I'm playing in Community Bands. Marvin is a great person and great trumpet player

[lessmoore49]

Sat in on a set with Kenton in Covington,KY. back in 68' or 69' when the bass trombone player suddenly got sick. The man had huge hands! Will never forget that night. He literally announced after the first set if there was a bass trombone player in the house lol. Just happened to have my King 5B in the trunk of the car that night. Sadly the bass bone player recovered after just one set. Still get chills when I think about it!

[callmeBe]

@rlneesam And what the hey is wrong with Puccini (he really was a gifted writer and orchestrator)?? And, so incredibly right and perfect with Wagner?? (Abet, I give Wagner credit for many, many great things). Anyway, certainly this is an "unusual" arrangement, even for Kenton, and almost predates some of the show presentations given by drum and field groups. Though this is not a favorite work of mine, nothing in the arrangement strikes me as out of place or crying out for revision.

[RogueRotting360]

@rlneesam What's wrong with Puccini?

[Wurtle38]

@jemiller226 mine has a cornet shank sometimes I play with a flugel mouthpiece but usually I stick the end from a horn stop mute and it makes like an adapter for a horn mouth piece and I think it sounds better, and that 1 1/2" brought mine in better tune. still have to lip up below the staff and down above A in the staff

[wcb1334]

Excellent !

[rlneesam]

Dreary. Whatever happened to the bravado of the Kenton orchestra. At his best, Kenton had moments of pure Wagner. This sounds like Puccini albeit on a good day.

[themousewillbegone]

amazing

[Wurtle38]

I've got a Conn 16E that I made an adapter to use my shilke 30. sound is warmer but still no center of pitch. some notes I can lip up and down 2 whole steps and the high range is like a kazoo.

never will forget the time I played it in a brass quintet for a christmas gig and we where tuning and the trumpets weren't with the tuba so the director had them tune to me cause I was with the tuba. after I said that's gotta be the first time anyone has tuned TO a mellophonium.

[DrFore]

Si Bueno donhartmus, Si Bueno, dr4