King Kenton - Queen Claire

Those of us "of a certain age" did, in our youth, have firm views on the music of Stan Kenton - we either loved it to the point of Beatle-like adulation or condemned it as being the musical equivalent of the Third Reich!

This still bemuses me and, listening to this wonderful Prom Celebration on Radio 2, the music now seems greater than ever albeit no longer controversial!

Directed by former Kenton trombonist Jiggs Whigham the BBC Big Band interpreted the original Holman, Paich, Kenton charts in a manner that did credit both ways. Martin Shaw's Portrait of a Count would surely have drawn praise from Candoli Minor himself!

The thing that most hits me looking back is that, despite the controversy at the time, it was MUSIC! Sure it wasn't Dixie or Swing although it usually did swing (Shelly Manne on drums - not swing?!) but the main thing was that it grabbed the pre-brainwashed public. In 1953 there were trips to Dublin to hear the band owing to the Musicians Union not allowing them to play in UK - unions eh?

This concert is a superb example of the great man's music and with Claire Martin doing the June Christy/Chris Connor vocal bits it's as if I was in Dublin or the Balboa Ballroom or the Hollywood Palladium! The final That Old Black Magic not only had Claire strutting her stuff but MD Jiggs dusted off his trombone for a fine chorus.

Its on BBC iplayer for another 6 days.

Lance.