Stan Kenton Plays Chicago

 

Inner Circle

Stan Kenton Plays Chicago
The Stan Kenton Orchestra
Conductor, Arranger, Producer: Robert Curnow
Engineer: Murray Allen
Art Direction and Photography: Paul Roewade
DBX Recording Equipment Courtesy of Larry Blakley and DBX Corporation
Creative World Records ST 1072
1974

Personnel

Saxophones and Flutes: Tony Campise, Rich Condit, Greg Smith, Dick Wilkie, Roy Reynolds
Trombones: Dick Shearer, Lloyd Spoon, Brett Stamps, Bill Hartman,
Tuba: Mike Wallace
Trumpets: John Warner, Dave Zeagler, Mike Barrowman, Mike Snustead, Kevin Jordan
Drums: Peter Erskine
Acoustic and Electric Bass: Mike Ross
Percussion: Ramon Lopez

From the back cover: Know Your Band (Front Cover) Hunkering at far left I'm the dark blue jacket is Greg Smith; crouching behind him in the white shirt is Rich Condit; above him, leaning out of the bus is Roy Reynols; kneeling in the foreground next to Greg is Dave Zeagler; standing in front of the door is Peter Erskine; kneeling in the sandals next to Peter is Lloyd Spoon; standing under the rear-view mirror in the black turtleneck is Dick Wilkie; crouching in the light blue slacks to Dick's right is Mike Snustead; standing center foreground to the right of the three Mikes is the man who made the trip possible; standing next to Stan's right are, left to right, John Harner, Bill Hartman, Mike Wallace, Brett Stamps and Kevin Jordan; deep-kneeling to Stan's right are, left to right, Ramon Lopez, Tony Campise and Dick Shearer. Behind the bus is Lincoln Park and downtown Chicago.

Recording and mix down done with DBX equipment and an Ampex MM-1000 16 track machine. Saxophones were recorded with five U-67 mikes; trumpets with three U-47s; trombones with six RE-16s; piano with a Sennheiser 201; drums with two AKG 451s, two KM-84s, one KM-86, and one U-47; bass was recorded direct.

From the inside cover: Bob Curnow, producer of this album and Director of Artists and Music for Creative World Records, is a bright new star among the select group of American composers-arrangers. All arrangements heard here are Curnow's work, as well as the two originals compositions First Child and Fugue.

At one time a trombonist with the Kenton orchestra, Curnow was later Director of Instrumental Music at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio. He holds B.S., M.A., and M.M. degrees, and his compositions have been recorded by many student jazz groups.

This album is the fourth album Curnow has produced for Creative World. He was responsible for the smashing success on 7.5 On The Richter Scale, for Solo: Stan Kenton Without His Orchestra, and for the internationally acclaimed National Anthems Of The World, for which he wrote all of the arrangements.

This album, then, is dedicated to Chicago and to Blood, Sweat and Tears. We salute them, with gratitude and deep appreciation, for their contribution to modern music.

From Billboard - October 26, 1974: This is a very exciting LP because producer-arranger Robert Curnow has given Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears music a legit jazz orientation. The Kenton orchestra comes alive, or rather brings its vitality to compositions by these two jazz-rock bands. All the polyphonics of Kenton's band are alive and swinging. The horn section work is crisp and enthusiastic on this program of lesser known works by these two bands. This is not huntsville in a new dress. Rather, it is a contemporary excursion for Kenton's band which continues amazing people all over the world with its freshness. The LP need national distribution. 

Best Cuts: "Once Upon A Time," "Alone," "The Rise And Fall Of A Short Fugue."

Dealers: Kenton is very active with concerts and college gigs. This can help sales in your area if you're stocked his mail-order product.

Side One

Chicago Suite
Canon - J. Pankow
Mother - R. Lamm (Soloists: Dick Shearer, Brett Stamps)
Once Upon A Time - J. Pankow (Soloist: Stan Kenton)
Free - R. Lamm (Soloists: Peter Erskine, Roy Reynolds, Mike Barrowman)
Recorded at Universal Studios/Chicago, Illinois - June 4, 5, 6, 1974

Side Two

Alone - L. Marini
First Child - R. Curnow (Soloists: Tony Campise, Dick Shearer, Kevin Jordan (Flugelhorn))
The Rise and Fall Of A Short Fugue - R. Curnow (Soloists: Stan Kenton, Peter Erskine, Tony Campise (Flute))
Inner Crisis - L. Willis (Soloist: Tony Campise)