Customer Reviews

Nineteen Sixty Two

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If you look at the impressive list of titles and listen to Amazon's soundclips you could be inclined to buy this CD to hear some interesting alternative versions of tracks from Stan's definitive mellophonium album "Adventures in Jazz". Perhaps I should have been warned by the waffling evasive description of the contents that this is in fact another exploitive Kenton CD emanating from England. With notes provided by the ubiquitous Mr. Sparke who it has to be admitted has done a great deal to keep the Kenton flame alive in the 21st Century.

Releasing remnants from Capitol's vaults is fine for those who want to relive their album experiences from the late 50's but it appears there are also a great number of unofficial recordings being released by less stringent companies. This particular compilation is an obvious case where Stan himself would object to having amateurishly recorded airchecks and concert excerpts undermining the memory of this, the most mellifluous band he ever led.

Only when one receives this CD does one find out it's been stitched together from 2 different sources 1) A New York broadcast on the 25th July 1962. 2) An outdoor concert 3 days later at the Freedomland Park in the Bronx. This provides the explanation for the incredibly poor sound quality - with neither bass or treble notes being captured - only a muffled approximation of what it might have sounded like to the naked ear. If Stan's piano solos grate on the ear then one knows this has no listening value beyond historical interest for those who want literally everything Kentonian on their shelves - no matter how distorted.

Lastly my copy constantly skipped and tracks repeated themselves. My suggestion therefore is "Sounds of Yester Year" should re-examine their contribution to Stan Kenton's legacy.