The Creative World of Stan Kenton

Discography

Track listings from the Free Internet CD Dabase. Click on the catalog number or, in the case of multi-CD sets, on the (1,2,...) beside the catalog number.

This is a tabular discography of Stan Kenton records we know to have existed as vinyl LPs/EPs and CDs. I've chosen to ignore singles and cassette albums, except for the ones marked ‡ for which the only known release is on cassette.

This list is drawn from a number of sources:

We are grateful for the work of these contributors:

  • Tony Agostinelli
  • Michel Albohair
  • Wilhelm Borgschulte
  • danmdir@aol.com
  • Christine Derksen
  • Roy Des Ruisseaux
  • Barry Graham
  • Joe Hayes
  • Bill Jadlos
  • Michael Madden
  • Louis Meirsman
  • Bob Peters
  • Wes Pfarner
  • Gerald van der Wal
  • Erik & Margo Volkmer
  • Keith Allan Wilson

The most authoritative source for CD recordings is Michael Sparke and Pete Venudor's "Stan Kenton on CD: The Ultimate Listing". That list has many CDs which are not listed here.

Several (far too few) people have sent in reviews of Kenton records they own. A hotlink on the title of a recording will take you to the review.

Careful readers will note a few doubtful items. For example, I did not have label, number or recording date information for a few recordings. Other doubtful items are denoted by a question mark (for example, the front cover of Mellophonium Magic lists its recording date as 1961 and the back cover lists it as 1962!). I'd appreciate the help of our readers in resolving these open issues.

Album names:: it's difficult to tell whether "Stan Kenton" is part of the title or just the artist's name. In most cases, I omitted "Stan Kenton" from the title. Before you write saying that I missed Stan Kenton Plays Sonic Youth, look under "Plays" and for The Stan Kenton Orchestra Live at Altamont look under "Live".

Finally, there are the inevitable errors of commission and omission. I'll be very grateful to readers who can point these out.

We Kenton fans are marvelously lucky in comparison to fans of Don Ellis, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, or Gerald Wilson. Capitol and EMI are (or at least were recently) releasing two or three Kenton CDs a year these days, and Mosaic Records (long may they wave) have been putting out marvelous box sets. If people buy them, they'll continue to release them. Some of the Creative World catalogue is still in existence, particularly on vinyl. It's owned by GNP Crescendo Records. Their Creative World catalogue is available online. Whether you regard it as a curse or a blessing (see the discussion below) the number of unauthorized recordings has never been greater. But neither the authorized nor the unauthorized recordings will be out there forever. Better get some now.

I've divided the discography into three major tables: original recordings, compilations & miscellany, and unauthorized recordings. A discussion of each category precedes each of the tables. No doubt this division, while necessary to manage the material, is likely to earn some unintended enmity. I hold the contributors to this discography completely free from blame.


The first table contains original recordings: the albums that Stan Kenton recorded for the Capitol, Creative World (abbreviated CW), and London labels. Records make it into this most exalted category if they contain primarily new material recorded for the album. Some CD reissues in this first category are known to have bonus tracks; they are denoted by (CD+) beside the title. In one well-known case, a CD reissue has fewer tracks than the vinyl; this is noted by (CD-) beside the title. Creative World reissued several of these recordings, and the Creative World numbers are listed whenever they are known.

Original Recordings

Album

Date
Recorded

Vinyl

CD

Label

No.

Label

No.

7.5 on the Richter Scale 1973 CW ST-1070 CW STD 1070
Adventures in Blues (CD+) 1961 Capitol ST-1985 Capitol Jazz 7243 5 20089 2
Adventures in Jazz (CD+) 1961 Capitol ST-1796 Capitol Jazz 7243 5 21222 2
Adventures in Standards 1961 Capitol
CW		 ?
ST-1025		    
Adventures in Time 1962 Capitol
CW		 ST-1844
ST-1011		 Capitol Jazz CDP 8 55454 2
Artistry in Bossa Nova 1963 Capitol ST-1931    
Artistry in Rhythm   Capitol
CW		 T-167
ST-1043		    
Artistry in Voices and Brass 1963   ST-2132    
At the Las Vegas Tropicana (Live From the Las Vegas Tropicana) 1959 Capitol
CW		 ST-1460
ST1032		 Capitol Jazz CDP 8 35245 2 5
Back to Balboa 1958 Capitol
CW		 T995
ST-1031		    
The Ballad Style of Stan Kenton 1958(?) Capitol ST-1068 Capitol Jazz CDP 8 56688 2
Birthday in Britain 1973 CW ST-1065 CW STD 1065
City of Glass (CD+) 1951 Capitol W736 Capitol Jazz 7243 8 32084 2 5
Conducts The Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra 1965 Capitol SMAS-2424 Capitol Jazz CDP 4 94502 2
A Concert in Progressive Jazz   Capitol T-172    
Contemporary Concepts 1955 Capitol
CW		 T666
ST-1003		    
Cuban Fire!(CD+) 1956 Capitol ST-731 Capitol Jazz CDP 7 96260 2
Duet (w/ June Christy) 1955 Capitol
CW		 ST656
ST-1048		 Capitol 7777 89285 2
Finian's Rainbow 1968 Capitol T-2971    
Fire, Fury and Fun 1974 CW ST-1073 CW STD 1073
Hair 1968   ST-305    
Innovations in Modern Music   Capitol
CW		 W-189
ST-1009		    
The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton 1967 Capitol ST-2932    
Journey Into Capricorn 1976 CW ST-1077 CW STD 1077
Kenton '76 1976 CW ST-1076 CW STD 1076
Kenton In Hi-Fi(CD+)
Kenton in Stereo		 1956 Capitol
Capitol		 SW-724
ST-1004		 Capitol Jazz CDP 7 98451 2
Kenton Showcase: The Music of Bill Holman and Bill Russo 1954 Capitol
Capitol		 T-598
W-524		    
The Kenton Touch 1958 Capitol ST-1276    
Kenton-Ritter 1962 Capitol ST-1757    
Kenton/Turner 1963 Capitol T-2051    
Kenton/Wagner 1964 Capitol STAO-2217    
Kenton's Christmas
(see A Merry Christmas)		          
Live at Brigham Young University 1971 CW ST-1039 CW STD 1039
Live at Butler University 1973 CW ST-1058 CW 1058
Live at Redlands University (CD-) 1970 CW ST-1015 CW STD-1015
Live in Europe 1976 London
Decca		 SP-44276
PFS 4393		 London 820.288.-2
Lush Interlude 1958 Capitol
CW		 T-1130    
A Merry Christmas
(Kenton's Christmas) (CD+)		 1961 Capitol
CW		 ST-1621
ST-1001		 Capitol CDP 7 94451 2
Milestones†   Capitol T-190    
National Anthems of The World   CW ST-1060    
New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm (CD+) 1952 Capitol T-383 Capitol Jazz CDP 7 92865 2
Plays Chicago 1974 CW ST-1072 CW STD 1072
Plays for Today   Capitol ST-2655    
Portraits on Standards† (CD+) 1953 Capitol
CW		 T-462
ST-1042		  Capitol Jazz 7243 5 31571 2 8
A Presentation of Progressive Jazz 1947 Capitol CD-79    
Presents 1950 Capitol
CW		 T-248
ST-1023		    
Rendezvous with Kenton† 1957 Capitol ST-932    
Road Show
(Reissued as 2 LPs):
Volume 1
Volume 2		 1959 Capitol

CW
CW		 STBO-1327

ST1019
ST1020		 Capitol Jazz CDP 7 96328 2 
The Romantic Approach 1961 Capitol ST-1533    
Sketches on Standards† (CD+) 1953 Capitol
CW		 T-426
ST-1041		  Capitol Jazz 7243 5 34070 2 5
Solo: Stan Kenton without his Orchestra   CW ST-1071    
Some Women I've Known   CW ST-1029    
The Sophisticated Approach 1961 Capitol ST-1674    
The Stage Door Swings 1958 Capitol T-1166    
Stan Kenton and His Orchestra 1941 McGregor LP-201    
Standards in Silhouette (CD+) 1959 Capitol ST-1394 Capitol Jazz CDP 4 94503 2
Street of Dreams       CW ST-1079
Today: Recorded Live in London 1972 London Decca BP 44179-80
DKL 3/1 3/2		    
Two Much (w/ Ann Richards) 1960 Capitol ST-1495    
Viva Kenton! 1959 Capitol
CW		 SW-1305
ST-1063		    
West Side Story 1961 Capitol ST-1609 Capitol Jazz 7243 8 29914 2 7
With Voices 1957 Capitol ST-810    
The World We Know   Capitol ST-2810    

Our second table contains compilations and miscellany. In some cases (e.g., the Creative World releases) Kenton himself approved of the releases. In others (e.g., the Mosaic collections) the Kenton estate or Capitol records gave permission for the release.

This category is rightly in the middle between the original recordings and the unauthorized recordings. For example, who is to say that A Time For Love (in the 3rd table) was mastered or released with any less love than the Uncollected series (in the 2nd table)? Other recordings bump up against the "original recordings" category: the overwhelming majority of the tracks in the By Request series never appeared on LP.

This category also contains a very few alumni recordings which were released under Stan Kenton's name

Note: one release repackages selections from 5 Kenton albums, and these are denoted †. This reissue is by EMI, and is out of print.

Compilations & Miscellany

Album

Date
Recorded

Vinyl

CD

Label

No.

Label

No.

50th Anniversary Celebration - Back to Balboa (6 Cds) 1991     MAMA Foundation 1003
Best of Stan Kenton 1953-61     Capitol Jazz CDP 8 31504 2
Best of 50th Anniversary Celebration - Back to Balboa       MAMA Foundation 1004
By Request Volume I   CW ST-1036    
By Request Volume II 1953-60 CW ST-1040    
By Request Volume III   CW ?    
By Request Volume IV   CW ST-1064    
By Request Volume V   CW ST-1066    
By Request Volume VI   CW ST-1069    
Capitol Jazz Classics, Vol. 2: Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, Artistry in Jazz.   Capitol M-11027    
The Christy Years   CW ST-1035    
Collector's Choice   CW ST-1027    
The Complete Capitol Recordings of the Holman and Russo Charts (4 CDs) 1950-65     Mosaic
Star Line		 MD4-136 (1,2,3,4)
61012
The Complete Capitol Studio Recordings of Stan Kenton -- 1943-7 1943-7     Mosaic
Capitol Jazz		 (tbd)
CDP 5 21839 2
The Comprehensive Kenton   Capitol STB-12016    
Dance to the Bands (3 Kenton tracks) 1956 Capitol TBO-727    
Easy Go 1950-52     Capitol Jazz 7243 5 24553 2 4
Encores   CW ST-1034    
The Fabulous Alumni of Stan Kenton   Capitol
CW		 ST-1028
ST-1028		    
The Formative Years   Decca
CW		 DL-8259
ST-1061		 Classics 848
Greatest Hits   Capitol SM-2327    
Hits in Concert   CW ST-1074    
The Innovations Orchestra (2 CDs)       Capitol Jazz CDP 8 59965 2 (1,2)
The Jazz compositions of Stan Kenton   CW ST-1078    
Jazz Profile: Stan Kenton       Blue Note 7243 8 33243 2
Kenton Classics†   Capitol T-358    
The Kenton Era 1941-53 Capitol WDX-569    
Kenton Favorites‡   Capitol 4XL-9094    
The Lighter Side   CW ST-1050    
Popular Favorites by Stan Kenton     T-421    
Rendezvous of Standards and Classics (includes excerpts from albums marked † in the table above) ?-1957     EMI 7243 8 33620 2 8
Retrospective (4 CDs) 1943-1968     Capitol Jazz CDP 7 97350 2 (1,2,3,4)
Uncollected Stan Kenton & His Orchestra Vol. 1 1941     Hindsight 118
Uncollected Stan Kenton & His Orchestra Vol. 2 1941     Hindsight 124
Uncollected Stan Kenton & His Orchestra Vol. 5 1941-5     Hindsight 157
Uncollected Stan Kenton & His Orchestra Vol. 6 1962     Hindsight 195
The Very Best of       Empress RAJCD-906

Our last table contains records whose recording and release were not under the auspices of Stan Kenton or his record labels. These are primarily airchecks and live concert recordings, though there is the occasional studio recording that mysteriously appeared in the hands of people not authorized to have it.

Noel Wedder, among others, has argued that recordings in this last table are of lesser quality and standing. Stan wanted to present his music in the best possible way, the argument goes, and this nearly always meant recording in a studio or under highly controlled conditions. The quality of performance captured in the live recordings is often quite uneven; the band had good nights and bad. Whether or not a performance made it out on one of these deuterocanonical CDs depended more on whether a tape machine was running (and the tapes were preserved and made public) than whether the performance was worthy of release. No one would want future generations to judge Stan's contribution to music on the basis of inferior performances.

I believe that very few experiences in life match the thrill of hearing the Kenton band live. And too, the character of a band is often better revealed by recording what they did four or five nights a week than what they did once or twice a year. For example, it would take the deductive powers of a Sherlock Holmes to discover, without these records, that the Mellophonium Orchestra could rock the house as a jazz organization.

The rule here is caveat emptor. Some performances are truly dreadful (I hope readers will supply reviews to warn others away from the worst). And digital remastering is an art whose masters earn high fees; often those fees are beyond the reach of the smaller labels, and the results of second-rate remastering often take most of the pleasure away from listening.

Noel Wedder points out that some of Kenton's orchestras were of higher musicianship than others. He asserts (and he was on the road with both of the orchestras he mentions and should know) that the Mellophonium Orchestra was very difficult to record well, while the Creative World Orchestras sounded good no matter how you recorded them.

Finally, while Kenton's contract called for the venue to supply "a first class PA with 5 mics", there was virtually no mic, board, or recorder in use in these venues that we'd have in our homes today, even to record a children's birthday party. Time is unkind to recording tape: unless it's stored properly and rewound periodically it can stick together, and trying to separate it can pull large pieces off the ferric oxide. The sound quality of these recordings starts at barely acceptable and goes downhill from there.

Surely that's enough warnings. I will point out that Kenton kept a band on the road for a reason. There's something magical that happens in front of a live audience, and occasionally that magic made it onto tape.

Note: some of these records had more than one name. When you see two titles in a box, it means that the same or essentially the same material has been released under two titles, and often two labels.

Unauthorized Radio & Concert Recordings

Album

Date
Recorded

Vinyl or
‡Cassette

CD

Label

No.

Label

No.

1940-1944 1940-44     Jazz Chronological Classics 848
1944 1944 Queen 054    
1945 1945     Jazz Chronological Classics 708892
1946 1946     Classics 949
1950's Birdland Broadcasts       Jazz Band EBCD 2135-2
23° North 82° West 1952-3     Viper's Nest
Natasha		 1007
NI-4006
'56 in Concert
The Concepts Era		 1956 Artistry 103 Artistry 2
And His Innovations Orchestra 1950     Laserlight 15 770
Artistry in Kenton 1959?     Kenton 1
Artistry in Symphonic Jazz 1977     Tantara TCD 1111
Artistry in Rhythm       Jazz Hour (Qualiton) 73540
Artistry in Rhythm       Fat Boy FATCD 326
At Carnegie Hall Oct 19, 1951     Joyce
First Heard		 1080
1006
At the Click 1948 Feb 4, 1948     Joyce 1120
At Fort Ord, California Vol. 1‡ 1955 Magic 201    
At Fort Ord, California Vol. 2‡ 1955 Magic 202    
At Fort Ord, California Vol. 3‡ 1955 Magic 203    
At Fountain St. Church Part 1       Status 1014
At Fountain St. Church Part 2       Status 1016
At the Holiday Ballroom Chicago
The Sound of '62		   First Heard 46 Status 1018
At March Field       Status 1011
At The Pavilion Hemel Hempstead       Status 1017
At The Rendezvous: Vol. 1       Status CD 102
At The Rendezvous: Vol. 2       Status CD 108
At the Sunnybrook & Sound '62 Oct 20, 1962     Joyce 1113
The Best of Brant Inn 1963 First Heard 45    
Broadcast Transcriptions 1941-5 1941-5     Music & Arts 883
Cavalcade of Bands Dec 1950 & Nov 1945     Joyce 1060
Click Club, Philadelphia       Jazz Hour JH-3007
The Concepts Era
(See '56 In Concert)		          
The Concepts Era Vol 2 1955-6 Artistry 106    
Concert 1953 Paris Theatre de la Alhambra 1953     Jeal Records RJ 504
Concert at Cornell University 1951     Jazz Unlimited JUCD2008
Concert Encores 1953 First Heard 40    
Concert in England, November 1963 1963     Astral Jazz 104
The Concert in Miniature Broadcasts 1952-3     Artistry 001
Concert in Miniature 1 & 2 Jun 3 & 10, 1952     Joyce 1083
Concert in Miniature #3 Jun 17 1952     Joyce 1140
Concert in Miniature 9 & 10 Jul 29, Aug 2 1952     Joyce 1087
Concert in Miniature 11 & 12 Aug 12 & 19, 1952     Joyce 1090
Concert in Miniature 13 & 14 Aug 26,Sep2, 1952     Joyce 1093
Concert in Miniature Encores Jan 18 & 31, 1953     Joyce 1205
Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic (4 CDs) 1965     Depth-O-Sound  
Early Concepts       Le Jazz 54
Film Tracks of Stan Kenton July '43, Dec '44-'45     Joyce 3003
The Definitive Kenton 1953-5 Artistry 102    
Encores #1 & #2 Nov 24,25 1952     Joyce 1100
European Tour Live 9/16/53
Europe '53 Part 1 & 2		 1953 First Heard 49 & 50 Artistry 003
Festival of Modern American Jazz       Status  
Gambler's Blues       MCA Special Products  
The Great Concert 1976     Pol Jazz
Jazz View		 SX 1631
012
Hollywood Paladium Mar 6 & 8 1951     Joyce 1070
I Hear Music (w/ Ann Richards)       Total 4001
In a Mellow Mood       Total 3002
In Concert 1956 Artistry 100    
In Concert       Hindsight HCD-612
In England 1963 Jazz Groove 005    
In Hollywood 1945     Mr. Music MMCD-7007
In New Jersey       Status 104
In Stockholm 1956     Swedish Radio SRJ-104
Innovations Orchestra 1950     Jazz Band EBCD 2131-2
Innovations Orchestra 1950-1951     Laser Light 15 770
Intermission Riff 1952-6     Giants of Jazz CD 53 109
Jazz Club USA June 1952     Joyce 1211
Jazz Collector Edition-Stan Kenton       Laser Light 15-725
Jump For Joy 1957-9     Total 3003
June Christy & Stan Kenton       Collector's Choice
CEMA		 CCM-001
S21-18053
Kenton '51 1951     Jazz Unlimited 2008
Kenton '53 - Concert in Wiesbaden 1953     Astral Jazz 101
Kenton '56 in Concert 1956     Artistry 002
Kenton (1956) 1956     Jazz Unlimited  
Kenton and Bird 1954 Jazz Supreme 703    
Kenton '58: Road Band 1958     Astral Jazz JCD-103
Live 1951 1951     Band Stand 1519
Live 1957-9 1957-9     Total 3001
Live 1957-9 (3-CD Set) 1957-9     Total TRCD 302
Live at Carthage College Part One 1974     Magic DAWE69
Live at Carthage College Part Two 1974     Magic DAWE70
Live at Humbold State College       Fresh Sound 3000
Live at Kessler Air Force Base       Astral Jazz 102
Live at the London Hilton 1973 1973     Status DSTS1003
Live at the London Hilton Part II 1973     Status DSTS1005
Live at the Macumba Club Part 1 1956     Magic 50
Live at the Macumba Club Part 2 1956     Magic 53
Live at Palo Alto
(duplicates much of Fort Ord material)		 1955     Status 112
Live at the Patio Garden Vol. 1 1957     Magic 56
Live at the Patio Garden Vol. 2 1957     Magic 57
Live at the Patio Garden Vol. 3 1957     Magic 58
Live at the Sunset Ridge Country Club 1976     Magic 59
Live at the Sunset Ridge Country Club Vol II 1976     Magic 61
Live at the Sunset Ridge Country Club Vol III‡ 1976 Magic      
Live at Ukiah 1959     Status 109
Live From the Red Hill Inn       Magic 43
Live From the Pasadena Civic Auditorium and Other Venues 1943-4     Status DSTS 1023
Live in 1951 at the Hollywood Palladium 1951     Jazz Band 2105
Live in Barstow       Status 1001
Live in Biloxi 1960     Magic DAWE32
Live in Cologne '76 Part 1 1976     Magic DAWE64
Live in Cologne '76 Part 2 1976     Magic DAWE65
Live Sessions 1942/5 1942-5     Musidisc 550302
Lost Concert (Live at the Coconut Grove) 1978     GEM HC #101&102
Masterpiece 20 - Stan Kenton (Decca/Capitol titles)       Jazz Archive 159182
Masters of swing 1952     Swing Mania 682466
Mellophonium Magic 1961     Status STATUSCD103
Melliphonium Moods 1962     Status 106
More Mellophonium Moods 1962     Status DSTS1010
Music '55 with Ella Fitzgerald Aug '55 & Jan '53     Joyce 1130
Nineteen Fifty One 1951     First Heard 1004
Nineteen Forty Four 1944-5 Swing House 26    
On AFRS 1945 1945     Status 1019
On Bob Snyder Show 1952     Status DSTS-1022
On The Air       Status 1022
On the Road 1958 Artistry 101    
One Night Stand       Magic 66
One Night Stand Hollywood 1943 1943     Joyce 1150
One Night Stand-Washington CD Nov 7, 1948     Joyce 1009
One Night Stand Steel Pier Jul 20,21,22 1951     Joyce 1016
One Night Stand Commodore Hotel Dec 1947     Joyce 1030
One Night Stand at the Click Feb, Jun, Nov 1948     Joyce 1040
Out of Nowhere       Four Star 40090
Painted Rhythm 1945     Giants of Jazz 1007
Parker/Gillespie/Kenton 1954 Artistry AR2-102    
The Peanut Vendor       Jazz Time
Eclipse		 JTM-8112
64062
18 Original Big Band Recordings 1962     Hindsight HCD-407
Plays Holman Live! 1956     Artistry 4005
Progressive Jazz 1947 Swing House 18 Swing House 18
Rare Recordings       Laser Light 15 725
Return to Biloxi 1960     Magic 35
Revelations (4 CDs) 1940-1978     Tantara T4CD-1116
Rhapsody In Blue       Moon 12
The Sound of '62
(See At the Holiday Ballroom)		          
The Sounds Of Stan Kenton       KRB KRB 5166-2
Spotlight on Lee Konitz, Chris Connor       Natasha 4017
Stan Kenton       Spectacular 2204
Stan Kenton       Echo Jazz EJCD 05
Stan Kenton Vol II       Echo Jazz EJCD 19
Stan Kenton & His Orchestra 1945,8     Jazz Hour JH-3007
Summer of '51 1950     Garland 6
Swing Back With‡   B&C 7308-4    
A Time For Love (Final Chapter) 1978     Tantara TCD 1112
Together Again 1960(?) First Heard 42    
The Transcription Performances       Hep CD 47
Tunes & Topics, Vol. I 1970,2     Tantara T2CD-1114
Tunes & Topics, Vol. II 1970,2     Tantara T2CD-1115
Very Best Of       Pair 1227
Volume 1 1961-2     Echo 05
Volume 2 1955(?)     Echo 19
Volume 2 1953-5     Stash VG 651 600229
with Nat King Cole Feb 1947     Joyce 1076

Omissions? Errors? Email me.

-- Monday, October 21, 2002
Back to the Stan Kenton page