Stan Kenton Live at Newport: 1959, 1963, 1971 (3-CD)

Personnel includes: Stan Kenton (leader, piano); Jean Turner (vocals); Charlie Mariano, Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone); Bill Trujillo, John Bonnie (tenor saxophone); Jack Nimitz, Marvin Holladay (baritone saxophone); Frank Higgins, Bud Brisbois, Rolf Ericson, Bill Chase, Roger Middleton (trumpet); Dick Shearer, Archie LeCoque, Jimmy Knepper, Kent Larsen (trombone); Jim Amlotte, Bob Knight (bass trombone); Carson Smith (bass); Jimmy Campbell (drums); Mike Pacheco, Ramon Lopez (Latin percussion).

Recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island on July 5, 1959, July 4, 1963 & July 2, 1971. Includes liner notes by Tony Cox.

Personnel: Stan Kenton (piano); Jean Turner (vocals); Chuck Carter (flute, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone); Quinn Davis (flute, alto saxophone); Kim Frizell, Richard Torres (flute, tenor saxophone); Gabe Baltazar, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Mariano (alto saxophone); Ray Florian, Steve Marcus, Bill Trujillo, John Bonnie (tenor saxophone); Joel Kaye (baritone saxophone, bass saxophone); Jack Nimitz, Archie Wheeler, Marvin Holladay (baritone saxophone); Bob Behrendt, Ronnie Ossa, Gary Pack, Paul Adamson, Gary Slavo, Ron Keller, Joe Marcinkiewicz, Mike Vax, Rolf Ericson, Bill Chase, Dennis Noday, Bud Brisbois, Roger Middleton, Frank Huggins (trumpet); Chris Swansen, Dick Shearer, Bobby Knight, Mike Jamieson, Jiggs Whigham, Jimmy Knepper, Kent Larsen, Bob Curnow, Archie LeCoque (trombone); Graham Ellis, Dave Wheeler (bass trombone, tuba); Mike Wallace , Jim Amlotte (bass trombone); Dee Barton, John Von Ohlen (drums); Ramon Lopez (congas).

Recording information: Newport Jazz Festival, Freebody (07/05/1959-??/??/1971).

Arrangers: Dee Barton; Gene Roland; Lennie Niehaus; Marty Paich; Bill Holman.

The three editions of the Stan Kenton Orchestra represented on this triple-disc set are amazingly consistent, considering that a dozen years separates the first from the third shows. The 1959 Newport performance is worth the price of the set by itself, a high-quality, high-fidelity recording of the Kenton band ripping through its repertory of that period in superb style, tight and bristling with collective virtuosity, all on display in a bracing performance across 48 minutes, with just the right level of audience presence for the listener. Highlights include solos by Jimmy Knepper, Rolf Ericson, Bill Trujillo, Charlie Mariano, and Mike Pacheco. The 1963 performance, from Kenton's mellophonium period, offers a very different sound, and a much more cerebral, introspective brand of jazz, equally well executed here and, again, in glistening fidelity, with solos by Kenton, Cannonball Adderley, Charlie Mariano, Gabe Baltazar, and Jiggs Whigham, among others. The 1971 set doesn't include Kenton, who was recovering from surgery, but the orchestra rises to the occasion and then some -- almost to prove their mettle (they'd been away from Newport for a long time), they seem to be putting out 110-percent of their capabilities, in terms of speed and the sheer number of notes spinning out. The whole box is fantastic stuff for fans of big-band jazz, and the 1971 set has enough progressive wrinkles in Hank Levy's arrangements that they could have had a shot at cross-over potential, if they'd wanted to go that route. ~ Bruce Eder