TromboneChat

I think that folks are much more familiar with the Kenton Orchestra's 1962 audiovideo recording on Jazz Scene USA, but I thought it would be neat to share this later recording. Dick Shearer sounding like no one else but Dick, here.

As a musician I appreciate that even this great band can run into nuisance sound issues on stage. I think it's fairly clear upon listening that the band is having some trouble hearing across different sections, and this is probably fairly late in the concert as I think they sound a bit fatigued; and the audio capture done for this live concert was pretty much barely on the order of "good enough" . . . but this is still great.

I don't really understand that outfit, though.

Spreading the musicians along a line across the stage certainly wasn't doing much good, I guess

It's weird. My tastes have certainly changed dramatically over time. I used to idolize Dick Shearer and wanted to play just like him. Now I absolutely cannot stand him.

I do like Malagueña, though. Almost every version I have heard.

Oslide wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 2:12 pm Spreading the musicians along a line across the stage certainly wasn't doing much good, I guess

Yeah, that was among my thoughts as well. Visually nice, but for an ensemble being able to hear each other, not so much.

tbdana wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 2:13 pm It's weird. My tastes have certainly changed dramatically over time. I used to idolize Dick Shearer and wanted to play just like him. Now I absolutely cannot stand him.

Absolutely understandable.

I do like Malagueña, though. Almost every version I have heard.

AndrewMeronek wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 2:23 pm I do like Malagueña, though. Almost every version I have heard.

[/quote]

I honestly don't know what's funny about that.









What's funny? These are all versions I like. I just don't like Kenton's.

AndrewMeronek wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 11:22 am
I don't really understand that outfit, though.

This is from only three years later, 1979. I get the outfit ... kind of industrial look...

But Stan Kenton's group can't pull it off....

tbdana wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 3:08 pm

AndrewMeronek wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 2:23 pm I do like Malagueña, though. Almost every version I have heard.

I gotta ask:

That last link, the symphonic adaptation - that is crazy awesome!!!

My previous response was to indicate an assumption that you didn't agree with my assessment, which is great.

I was blasting Kenton's "Live at The Tropicana" album on the turntable one evening when a much younger friend wandered into the room and stood transfixed at what he was hearing. When the record ended he asked ------- "WHAT was THAT" !! I had the perfect answer. I said, "Jack ---- that was the Stan Kenton Big Band ------- the "heavy metal" of MY generation" ! I think it still fits !

I was blasting Kenton's "Live at The Tropicana" album on the turntable one evening when a much younger friend wandered into the room and stood transfixed at what he was hearing. When the record ended he asked ------- "WHAT was THAT" !! I had the perfect answer. I said, "Jack ---- that was the Stan Kenton Big Band ------- the "heavy metal" of MY generation" ! I think it still fits !

I started my studies at Manhattan School of Music. The 2 Big Bands were run/coached by Rusty Detrick (sp?) - he had come up in the business through bands like Basie, Ellington, and others from that era. He wasn't a fan of the Kenton sound, and I remember he referred the Stan Kenton as "Can't Stand him".

Jim Scott

CalgaryTbone wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 9:50 pm ...Rusty Detrick (sp?)

Dedrick

His older brother Art Dedrick was a trombonist during the swing era, a music educator, a prolific arranger (particularly for school stage bands), and co-founder of music publisher Kendor Music.

But yeah, I've certainly run into people who aren't enamored with the Kenton sound.

I like early Kenton, up until maybe the early 1950s, and after that, his music all sounds so incredibly pretentious and self-absorbed to me, I always thought if you didn't really like jazz, or swing, or subtlety, Kenton was your man.

Another excellent guitar:

harrisonreed wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 3:58 pm

AndrewMeronek wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 11:22 am
I don't really understand that outfit, though.

This is from only three years later, 1979. I get the outfit ... kind of industrial look...

But Stan Kenton's group can't pull it off....

Not sure what's not to get... It's leisure suits. Granted, they were only a thing for a couple of years and they were embarrassing and awful. But, in the mid 70's, they were pretty ubiquitous. By 79 they were as dead as the disco from whence they were born.

although wrote: Mon Feb 16, 2026 2:16 pm

harrisonreed wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 3:58 pm

This is from only three years later, 1979. I get the outfit ... kind of industrial look...

But Stan Kenton's group can't pull it off....

Not sure what's not to get... It's leisure suits. Granted, they were only a thing for a couple of years and they were embarrassing and awful. But, in the mid 70's, they were pretty ubiquitous. By 79 they were as dead as the disco from whence they were born.

Those kind of have a more industrial, I work in a factory in the 70's kind of look to them, in the pockets and buttons.

Sting pulled off the industrial look better.

harrisonreed wrote: Mon Feb 16, 2026 3:11 pmThose kind of have a more industrial, I work in a factory in the 70's kind of look to them, in the pockets and buttons.

Now that you've pointed it out...

Maybe more "blue collar" than "industrial"? It's almost as if they used a design originally intended to be made in denim.

They are looking like they just left their shift at this job and then walked out onto the stage with Stan Kenton. The colors of coat vs shirt are just reversed. These guys are at the rival factory I guess.

Reminded me to search out the Kenton plays Wagner album (1965?). It's hilarious.

The mid 70's were chock full of poor fashion & musical choices...

I'm sure glad that I opted out of the "leisure suit" style in the 1970s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure_suit
What I wore (bell bottoms, etc.) and looked like was bad enough!

I hope this fad never returns!
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/leisure-suits-1970s/

Posaunus wrote: Tue Feb 17, 2026 10:16 am I'm sure glad that I opted out of the "leisure suit" style in the 1970s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leisure_suit
What I wore (bell bottoms, etc.) and looked like was bad enough!

I hope this fad never returns!
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/leisure-suits-1970s/

I mean, it's better than what people are wearing around now:


(For those unaware of the reference, a joke, check out H3 Vape Nation on YouTube, if you dare...)

harrisonreed wrote: Tue Feb 17, 2026 5:08 amThey are looking like they just left their shift at this job and then walked out onto the stage with Stan Kenton. The colors of coat vs shirt are just reversed. These guys are at the rival factory I guess.

That's just a lab coat sort of thing (significantly longer than what Kenton's band is wearing) over street clothes. I dressed like that back when I worked in a lab at Lockheed back in the early 1980's (though my lab coat was white). Look at the two closest machine operators; their pants are different colors, and I see another machine operator in the background wearing a different color shirt.

What Kenton's guys are wearing looks like an attempt to avoid the "suit and tie" look while still being uniform. Back then, it probably worked - at least as well as what Maynard's band is wearing here:

JohnL wrote: Tue Feb 17, 2026 12:18 pm What Kenton's guys are wearing looks like an attempt to avoid the "suit and tie" look while still being uniform. Back then, it probably worked - at least as well as what Maynard's band is wearing here:

Pajamas? Bathrobes? Kimonos?

AndrewMeronek wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 11:22 am I think that folks are much more familiar with the Kenton Orchestra's 1962 audiovideo recording on Jazz Scene USA, but I thought it would be neat to share this later recording. Dick Shearer sounding like no one else but Dick, here.

As a musician I appreciate that even this great band can run into nuisance sound issues on stage. I think it's fairly clear upon listening that the band is having some trouble hearing across different sections, and this is probably fairly late in the concert as I think they sound a bit fatigued; and the audio capture done for this live concert was pretty much barely on the order of "good enough" . . . but this is still great.

I don't really understand that outfit, though.

Thanks for posting this, Andrew. It was good to see Dick again. I was lucky enough to play with him and in the Wayne State University Jazz Band that he led when he came to Detroit in 1979.

I'll always remember the first gig I played with Dick. It was on the old Bob-Lo Boat. I was sitting right next to him and I was pretty intimidated. He leaned over, put his hand on my back, and said, "Relax or I'll kill ya."

Though I played (and play) very differently from him, I learned so much from him. He prepared me well for the road gig I had a few years later.

BillinMich wrote: Sun Apr 12, 2026 12:13 pm Thanks for posting this, Andrew. It was good to see Dick again. I was lucky enough to play with him and in the Wayne State University Jazz Band that he led when he came to Detroit in 1979.

I'll always remember the first gig I played with Dick. It was on the old Bob-Lo Boat. I was sitting right next to him and I was pretty intimidated. He leaned over, put his hand on my back, and said, "Relax or I'll kill ya."

Though I played (and play) very differently from him, I learned so much from him. He prepared me well for the road gig I had a few years later.

I never met Dick, although I have many friends who did. By the time I got to Wayne, he was gone.

Speaking of celebrity trombonists, I did get to know Mel Wanzo there.

AndrewMeronek wrote: Fri Apr 17, 2026 2:03 pm
I never met Dick, although I have many friends who did. By the time I got to Wayne, he was gone.

Speaking of celebrity trombonists, I did get to know Mel Wanzo there.

Mel was a wonderful gentleman. I got the chance to play with him in Johnny Trudell’s big band. I treasure the gigs played with him.

harrisonreed wrote: Mon Feb 16, 2026 3:11 pm

although wrote: Mon Feb 16, 2026 2:16 pm

Not sure what's not to get... It's leisure suits. Granted, they were only a thing for a couple of years and they were embarrassing and awful. But, in the mid 70's, they were pretty ubiquitous. By 79 they were as dead as the disco from whence they were born.

Those kind of have a more industrial, I work in a factory in the 70's kind of look to them, in the pockets and buttons.

Sting pulled off the industrial look better.

You gotta be old like me to remember leisure suits. I was in HS in the late 70's and they were all the thing back then, but I managed to never wear one. But in my college jazz band, I did sport a blue tux shirt with ruffles on the front.

Ah, turn-up suits, or turnip suits. As in, you turn up the sleeves.
Pastel green was a classic look. I recall it especially on a particular college psychology professor.

The Kenton band, at first glance, appears to have foregone shirts, having protruding tummies. That's what I see.

Anyway, Kenton Today, the two-album London set, captures the Kenton I heard live on a mid-70s summer night in Wilmette's Eden Plaza parking lot (Chicago suburb). Not the subtitles of a Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra or the nuance and swing of Basie, but entertaining latin-esque energy. I spoke with a nice bass trombonist/tuba guy, whose name I forgot. A tough way to make a living is what I thought.

tbdana wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 3:08 pm



What's funny? These are all versions I like. I just don't like Kenton's.

Shoutout to Robert Taylor on trombone and Gavin Biondi on trumpet.

Funny story about Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini. He was the scheduled entertainment for the summer picnic/party of the insurance company (my day job many years ago). Most folks in the company had heard of Lauderdale and were excited to see the show: local boy makes good and all that.

The stage is set, the audio and video hands do their thing, the band starts to get in place. No Lauderdale. Wait a few minutes. No Lauderdale. Band members shift on and off stage. Stage hands walk to and fro across stage. No Lauderdale.

45 minutes later, he called from the local Uwajimaya, saying he went shopping, turned his phone off, lost track of time. Oops!

The band rescheduled later that year at Schnitzer Concert Hall, the place shown in the video (probably not the concert I attended). The special guest star was Carol Channing. It was worth the wait!

BillinMich wrote: Fri Apr 17, 2026 5:00 pm Mel was a wonderful gentleman. I got the chance to play with him in Johnny Trudell’s big band. I treasure the gigs played with him.

I also subbed in with Trudell's big band when Johnny was still around. Fond memories!

Mel was something of an audiophile. He had a pretty nice audio system set up in his apartment, and a great collection of CDs and (gasp) laserdiscs!

tbdana wrote: Sun Feb 08, 2026 2:13 pm It's weird. My tastes have certainly changed dramatically over time. I used to idolize Dick Shearer and wanted to play just like him. Now I absolutely cannot stand him.

I do like Malagueña, though. Almost every version I have heard.

I remember when I was still in high school hearing the Kenton Band play and Dick Shearer was the loudest brightest trombone I have ever heard. I heard someone say that his sound could peel paint off the walls. But in the context of that big enormous brass sound it was pretty much OK.
I also remember a quote in some Trombone journal that said something like Shearer was listening to a jazz band festival and a lot of the Trombone players had large bore instruments like 42bs. His comment was “since when did jazz trombone become sliding baritones?”

Anyone remember this?