Jazz at the HDM: Cuban Fire!

Stan Kenton (1911–1974) liberated the big band from its role as a dance orchestra and expanded its repertoire to include symphonic music and Third Stream. In doing so, he paved the way for jazz to be embraced in concert halls. Bill Russo remarked that “his mistakes were more important for jazz than the great successes of other musicians.” On the other hand, as Joachim-Ernst Berendt wrote, he also created “swinging music that may not have been directly influenced by Count Basie, but which nevertheless fit perfectly into an era when Basie’s spirit was alive.” According to Carlo Bohländer, “Kenton’s great merit lies in having offered young composers and arrangers every opportunity for free creative development.” Less well known is that Stan Kenton also enjoyed working with Latin music and could ignite “Cuban fire,” as this concert proves.