Customer Reviews

Easy Go

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Stan Kenton may have irked the critics with his continuous experimentation, but this early recording proves that as a straight-ahead swing band Kenton was first rate. From the catchy title track to a stunning 'Love for Sale' to a completely new 'Star Dust' (one of the most recorded songs of its era), this collection is a treasure.

Kenton had some of the best soloists around -- how can you argue with Milt Bernhart, Art Pepper and Maynard Ferguson? -- and these simpler (compared to the Mellophonium period) arrangements let them shine. Bernhart's trombone on 'Something New' is smooth and appealing, Kenton's piano on 'Star Dust' is properly pensive and magical. 'Dynaflow' and 'Lazy Daisy' are just infectious. The list goes on, but if you enjoy big band swing with a bit of sophistication you won't go wrong with this one.

The early 1950s recording may not have the fidelity of more modern recordings, but with a couple of minor exceptions it is clean -- Capitol usually produced first rate monaural studio tracks and these are no exception.

"Easy Go" is one of the best Kenton from Capitol to come out in many, many a year. This CD contains some of the most exciting Kenton charts from his library of the 1950's. What a treat to hear Art Pepper, Maynards' "Whats' New" and the brief, but fluid Lennie Niehaus solo on "Beehive". Shorty Rogers' "Viva Prado" has always been one of my favorites. With a few exceptions, this is a 'must have' Kenton release. Lets' keep those Capitol vaults of the 1950's wide open for more of the same.

When I heard this recording a few years ago, it just reminded me how much I wanted to be a trumpeter. A scream trumpeter at that. Amazing trumpet work from Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Childers, Conte Condoli and Ray Wetzel among others show why this brass-dominated album is so special. Kenton's arrangements and compositions are superb, as are the contributions from the other members. Maynard plays with great fire on his rendition of "What's New". What a performance. Maynard is an air machine. Also, they do a great job with "Viva Prado" (Prado Lives), which is a tribute to one of the kings of Latino jazz, Perez Prado. These white guys sure know how to play a latin tune! Also, I love the contrast of the soft, cool saxophones and the loud, energizing trumpets. Kenton's version of "Love For Sale", one of the most often recorded tunes of the 1950's, has a great latin feel to it also. And who wouldn't love the amazing bounce of the catchy "Dynaflow"? "Mambo Rhapsody" is a wonderful spin, as is the odd remake of "Stardust", which almost has an old Western feel to it, and has some great lead trumpet playing from Buddy Childers and good soloing from Stan and Bill Holman on tenor. Bud Shank is also brilliant on "Theme For Alto", even though in the liner notes it was shown that he was not especially proud of this performance. Conte Condoli's beautiful showcase on "Cool Eyes" is one of the best tracks, and is definitely the epitome of "cool" jazz. Conte also has a very tastefully structed solo on the hyper "Bill's Blues". This is a must have for any Stan Kenton or big band fan. A truly magnificent recording, and motivational as well.

I've been trying to get hold of this album for a long time without any success. I finally found a good source with Amazon.

The selections are tracks from earlier recordings of Stan Kenton when he had his great jazz band of the '50's. He has a lineup of stellar performers and it shows. The music swings and the tunes are well chosen (some original compositions and some standards). If you like Kenton you'll like this album.