Stan Kenton

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Wildly popular in the ?40s and ?50s, Stan Kenton was like a starched-collared Sun Ra. Constantly forcing his big bands to search out new avenues of musical expression, he forged experimental classical techniques, odd time signatures, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and Wagnerian bombast to great success. He also employed great musicians (Art Pepper, June Christy, Maynard Ferguson) and arrangers (Pete Rugolo, Shorty Rogers), pushing them to new heights. Several big name West Coast Jazz stars started out with Kenton, often balking at his pretensions, but ultimately thanking him for the opportunity he offered. His 1951 album City of Glass makes John Zorn sound like Lawrence Welk.