Customer Reviews

Romantic Approach / Sophisticated Approach

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
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Stan Kenton always did things up right; and this CD gives us all the tracks from two of his record albums entitled The Romantic Approach and The Sophisticated Approach. What a great "two-fer" CD this is!

The CD track set begins with "When Your Lover Has Gone." The arrangement for the brass works wonders as they effortlessly switch back and forth between major and minor keys. This very beautiful instrumental number makes a strong beginning for this two-fer CD. Love that piano arrangement, too! "Imagination" also uses the horns to carry a good deal of the melody; but the piano also makes very beautiful music--together they make "Imagination" a beautiful number. What a great rendition of "Imagination!" Moreover, "Fools Rush In" shines as the horns and piano again create the perfect rendition of this classic love ballad. The tempo is slower than most versions I've heard of "Fools Rush In;" this is music that will make you want to take your sweetheart and slow dance forever! Great!

"Moonlight In Vermont" sparkles with the horns and piano working to make this a sublime instrumental rendition of this love ballad. Stan Kenton truly makes "Moonlight In Vermont" sound fresh and more beautiful then ever before. When the horns eventually come in louder they only enhance the natural beauty of this fine number. "It Might As Well Be Spring" starts off in a minor key which switches rather quickly to a major key for the remainder of "It Might As Well Be Spring." The horn solo stuns me with its beauty and I predict that you will enjoy "It Might As Well Be Spring" very much.

"Moonlight Becomes You" continues the excellent hits as the horns carry the bulk of the musical arrangement. "How Long Has This Been Going On" features the horns at the beginning both in minor and major keys; and Stan Kenton makes "How Long Has This Been Going On" a masterpiece! "My One And Only Love" sounds fresh and more beautiful than ever when Stan Kenton uses the horns and piano to make this number soar!

The liner notes give us the song credits; and we get miniature replicas of the front and back covers of the record album jackets. Great!

Stan Kenton proved his artistry was very special once again with this fine CD. We get all the tracks of two of his great record albums; and this is big band and mood music at its very best.

Great job, everyone!

I have literally loved Stanley Newcomb Kenton's music since I was a kid. I had "lost touch" over the years and decided to rebuild my Kenton collection when I saw all of the CDs you had available. I am thoroughly delighted with this album as well as the other three I purchased (Kenton in Hi FI, The Stagedoor Swings, and Cuban Fire). Thank you.

Ron Brenz

These are two great albums that feature Stan's mellophonium orchestra. They were recorded in Hollywood California at Capitol's Tower Studios and Goldwyn Sound Stage 5. What a great sound. Romantic has some great arrangements by Stan and Sophisticated has wonderful arrangements by Lennie Niehaus. This a must have for any Stan fan!

I don't know why it's so hard to find "The Romantic Approach" and I've been searching on I-Tunes for 3 years for it ... it has one of the greatest ballads Kenton ever recorded w/the melophoniums, "Moonlight in Vermont." The entire album is great but I would have paid a mint just for "Moonlight" ...

This is a tremendous CD, especially if you like big band. It has a great selection of ballads and I enjoyed the entire CD. I would highly recommend it.

Like one other reviwer, I am a lifelong Kenton fan. I again bought "Standard's in Silouette" ( my first Kenton album) last year. The Romanmtic/Sophisticated Approach have the same clarity and beauty as they did when I first put a needle on them 40 years ago. Bravo!

This was a great bargain. Two classic Kenton albums for less than the price of one. The quality of the audio is excellent and brings back memories of these albums as I listened to them many years ago.

A cross between big band and jazz at it's finest. This wil put you in the mood, no matter what your mood is. From the period before he went a little over the top. A must for every Kenton lover.

Beautiful arrangements of ballads with a instrumentalists from mostly the UK where this was recorded.