SONOKLECT A Festiva l of Modern Music

Terry Vosbein, director

PROGRESSIVE 2009

THE KNOXVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA

TERRY VOS BEIN guest conductor

Saturday 24 January 2009 8PM

WILSON HALL

WASHING TON AND LEE UNIVERSITY Departm ent of Music PROGRAM

AcTI

Artistry in Gillespie Rugolo

Afternoon of a Faun Claude Debussy arranged by Rugolo

Theme Graettinger

Walk.in' by the River Una Mae Carlisle & Robert Sour arranged by Graettinger

Cuban Pastorale Graettinger

Hambeth Rugolo

Crows in Tuxedos Vosbein

Don't Blame Me Jimmy McHugh & Dorothy Fields arranged by Rugolo

Rhythms at Work Rugolo

Interlude Rugolo

Ahora es el Tiempo Vosbein

A Slow and Fast Blues Vosbein

INTERMISSION ACTII

Jumping Monkey Vosbein

Odin's Dream Vosbein

Two Islands Vosbein

WildNumse Vosbein

The Real Princess Vosbein

A Tale of 2 Cities Vosbein

Johanna Stephen Sondheim From Sweeney Todd arranged by Vosbein

I had tremendous support from the Music Library at the University of North Texas, keepers of the Archives . My thanks go out to head librarian Morris Martin and his excellent staff for all their assistance.

My debt to Kenton scholars Michael Sparke and Edward Chaplin is enormous. Their insight and attention to detail through the years has been tremendously helpful.

And without the generous support of Washington and Lee University none of this would have been possible. Stan Kenton's Progressive Jazz After several years of chasing fame, band leader Stan Kenton had achieved it by 1947. His ideals of creative arrangements and compositions had proven to be commercially successful. But in April of that year, exhausted from the journey, and disgusted by the commercial music industry, he broke up his band and sent them home. Rumors of Kenton's plans hit the streets daily until it was announced that he would return in September, presenting what he termed A Concert In Progressive Jazz. Most of the music was written by Kenton's chief arranger , who brought to the big band the influences of Stravinsky, Bartok, Milhaud and Hindemith. Rugolo described Progressive Jazz as containing "completely different harmonies, more classical, modern, very contemporary." Also there was Bob Graettinger, who appeared from nowhere and contributed some of the most controversial scores of the era before fading into obscurity a few years later. As experimental as this band was, it was also tremendously popular. In early 1948 fans voted Kenton's aggregation 'Best Band' in both Downbeat and Metronome magazines. In February they played the first of fifteen performances at Carnegie Hall, setting a house record for box office. Their June show at the Hollywood Bowl was the first live televised jazz concert. Sadly, a strike by the musicians union kept the band out of the studio throughout 1948 and their output was enjoyed only by those lucky enough to catch a live performance or radio air check. In December, at the height of his fame, Kenton once again disbanded. This break up would mark the end of the Progressive Jazz era. Ironically, the recording ban ended on 15 December 1948: the day after Kenton broke up his Progressive Jazz band. When he finally reformed in 1950, it was with the 40-piece Innovations Orchestra, and much of the 1948 library was lost to history. At the same time Kenton's California-based Progressive Jazz was reaching its prime, bebop was exploding in New York and elsewhere. The young writers and soloists of Kenton's brood were all avid students of this music. Players such as , Bob Cooper and absorbed this music and were hungry to play it. But Kenton would have none of it, leaving that to leaders like Woody Herman. However, during these years it was not uncommon for Kenton to turn over the piano and leadership to Rugolo for the last set of the night. It was then that Rugolo was able to call his more boppish arrangements, including Three Bop, Yardbird Suite and ARTISTRY IN GILLESPIE. This tribute to bop great Dizzy Gillespie was first performed on 8 March 1948 at RKO Theatre in Boston but was played rarely and then forgotten. AFTERNOON OF A FAUN , or L'apres-midi d'un faune, as it was titled by composer Claude Debussy, was already a standard of the orchestral repertoire, barely half a century old at the time of this arrangement. It was premiered on 12 February 1946 during a three week stand at Frank Dailey's Meadowbrook Ballroom in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. In a radio interview in mid-1946 Kenton said "I think Debussy was one of the first to be typed and called a 'modernist.' He wrote entirely free. He had nothing to do with the old harmonic rules that had ruled the masters before him. Then came Stravinsky, Sibelius, Ravel..." On this piece the band was asked to play as they normally would, with vibrato, in contrast to the straight tone of the solo alto sax. "Straight tone led to Pete Rugolo writing one of my few solo arrangements called Afternoon of a Faun. This was played in a rather legit manner [no vibrato by the soloist] while the band was going like crazy behind me. It had a rather eerie effect." (Saxophonist Al Anthony to Michael Sparke) An eighteen year old Bob Graettinger first approached Kenton in 1941 with some rather amateurish arrangements. Kenton was encouraging, but their paths were not destined to cross again until 1947 when Kenton hired Graettinger as a staff arranger. During the intervening years he played nondescript saxophone and wrote forgettable arrangements for a variety of bands, as he gained experience. But once with Kenton he wrote bold daring scores, full of wild colors and harsh dissonances. The earliest extant Bob Graettinger music in print form was thought to be Thermopylae, his first recorded contributions to the Kenton library in 1947. But I came across a set of parts entitled THEME, hand-copied by Joe Chaddock on 25 March 1946, and crediting Graettinger as composer. Every band had a theme song and I am certain this was to be used in that manner. Graettinger played for several bands during this period, including Alvino Rey's. But for whom this Theme was written is a mystery. WALKIN' BY THE RIVER was a minor hit by Una Mae Carlisle, composed by her with Robert Sour in 1940. This unknown Graettinger arrangement comes from 1948, although the single recorded performance by Kenton surfaced on an obscure LP of a 1951 Hollywood Palladium performance; a recording that captures Kenton saying "we've played it for some time ...it's one of the beautiful melodies that lends itself well to most any kind of treatment." When Kenton finally did record this song in 1957, it was with a new arrangement by Joe Coccia. The LP incorrectly identifies Watkin' By The River as being by . It wasn't even listed in the Kenton collection at the University of North Texas. But as I carefully opened every envelope in the archive I found a copy of this score folded up in the back of another envelope (one of many Eureka moments that I had while working on the collection). It was clearly in Graettinger's handwriting and had many of his compositional trademarks, even though there was no name on the score. When I discovered this score, I was not yet aware of the recording. But I was soon able to put all the pieces together and properly credit Graettinger as the arranger. CUBAN PASTORALE demonstrates Graettinger's take on the Afro-Cuban rhythms that absorbed the Progressive Jazz era, his only experiment with the genre. And it is the first of the Kenton oeuvre that utilizes a flute double on the lead alto sax part. The original pencil score is marked "Hollywood, CA, October 1948." By the time the music was copied and delivered to the musicians it could have only been in the book for a month or so before Kenton disbanded. There have been stories of the existence of this composition, but no recordings have ever surfaced. Pete Rugolo, Stan Kenton and Bob Graettinger at a 1948 rehearsal. "The title HAMBETH was supposed to be a joke, indicating that I'm a ham, and the Shakespeare connection with Hamlet and Macbeth was supposed to be the general idea. But I don't think Stan liked it very much, and we didn't play it very often." Those words come from trombonist Milt Bernhart, for whom this work was written. Bernhart 's career spanned four decades including memorable stints with , Stan Kenton and . He joined Kenton in 1946 and his first solo proved to be an important one: the famous trombone melody on The Peanut Vendor. Perhaps his most famous solo comes from the 1956 Sinatra recording of I've Got You Under My Skin. Just as the Hollywood Palladium had become the band's west coast home, New York's Paramount Theatre was their home in the east. They played many extended engagements at both venues during these years. Rugolo's composition Hambeth was first played at the Paramount on 14 January 1948. Eleven months later to the day the band played their final engagement at the Paramount before disbanding for over a year. (An interesting anecdote is that bop bassist Oscar Pettiford played the final three week engagement at the Paramount in 1948, substituting for ailing Eddie Safranski.) DON'T BLAME ME was one of several hits penned by composer Jimmy McHugh and lyricist Dorothy Fields, including I Can't Give You Anything But Love, The Sunny Side of the Street and I'm In the Mood For Love. "A standard if there ever was one," according to composer Alec Wilder. This unusually subdued Rugolo creation was clearly written for dinner and dancing. He wrote many arrangements to satisfy the needs of engagements, often curtailing the screaming trumpets so as to not disturb the diners. This arrangement was first played at the Marine Room on Pleasure Pier on 30 May 1948, in Galveston and has never been recorded. RHYfHMS AT WORK, besides being composed by Pete Rugolo, is a complete mystery. There is no mention of this work in any of Kentonia. It was first played at Eastwood Gardens in Detroit on 31 August 1948, according to the inscription on Buddy Childers's trumpet part. And the band broke up just three and a half months later. There are no records of just what made up the repertoire during these final months, nor have live recordings shed any light on the subject. What is known is that Kenton and Rugolo had become enamored by Afro-Cuban rhythms in 1946 when they heard Machito's band in New York and began experimenting profusely with this highly charged genre. Perhaps only Opus in Pastels and remained in the band's book longer than Rugolo's INTERLUDE. Originally written in February 1947, Kenton continued playing this lush trombone feature until the very end of his career. Rugolo told me this was his most played composition. Like Don't Blame Me, it was intended to provide a soft alternative to the typically bombastic pieces found in the band's repertoire. The version performed tonight contains ten measures deleted on the original recording and every subsequent performance, but contained in Rugolo's original score. Just three days before Christmas in 1947 Kenton brought the band to RKO-Pathe Studios in New York City for a six-hour recording session, no doubt to give Capitol enough material to weather the imminent recording ban. There were five titles put to wax that day, Interlude being the chestnut of the bunch. This marathon session proved to be the final studio appearance by the Progressive Jazz orchestra. When the band next entered the recording studio the year was 1950 and it was with the mammoth Innovations In Modern Music orchestra. And a new Kenton Era had begun.

Terry Vosbein'sA Tale of 2 Cities

In early January of 2008 I arrived in Paris for a few months to compose some big band music. I had just finished a three month stay at the University of North Texas studying the music in the Stan Kenton Archives. With this music bubbling in my veins, I set out to create a concert of original material, not imitating these great scores, but letting my imagination flow freely. I lived for four months along the Seine, at the Cite Internationale des Arts, where I had been awarded a residency. Somewhere along the way I fell in love with a Danish novelist and extended my stay. I remained in Europe until August, splitting my time between Ile Saint Louis in Paris and the island of Christianshavn in Copenhagen. I continued to write on my two islands what I came to call A Tale of 2 Cities. I composed ten original works, nine of which are presented on this concert. The tenth, a fifteen minute Ballet For Saxophones, awaits its premiere. CROWS IN TUXEDOS is a finger popping swinger featuring interwoven contrapuntal lines and trombone section work. Like many jazz standards, the harmonies of this work are based on the chords to Gershwin's I Got Rhythm. The title refers to the magpies I saw as I strolled the paths near Christiania. I'm not sure, but I think they were laughing at me. AHORA ES EL TIEMPO was the first piece I wrote upon arriving in Copenhagen. Having experienced first-hand the music of Cuba during a visit to Havana in 2003, I tried to imbue this composition with that exciting spirit. The trombones' interlocking lines set the tone from the start. And once the dance begins, it doesn't cease until the final bar. A SLOW AND FAST BLUES explores the blues feeling in two different tempos. The slow mournful opening features the bass, then the guitar, in melodic statements. Contrasting up-tempo moments punctuate the blues feeling. It slows down and speeds up, again and again, before ending with an old fashioned kick­ butt shout chorus. THE JUMPING MONKEY begins with the rhythm section, and features them throughout. The riff based melody is presented by the saxes, before giving way to a series of solos. The saxes try to reclaim the riff, but it eludes them despite their searching and prodding from the brass. Finally a drum solo sets the riff back on track for the shouting conclusion. ODIN'S DREAM was the first composition I wrote upon arrival in Paris in January. It is a slow and introspective vehicle for the solo trombone. It is no surprise that I turned to the trombone for my gateway back into big band writing. It has long been a favorite solo instrument of mine. TWO ISLANDS began its life as an alternation between two chords. Although written in Copenhagen, the feeling is more reminiscent of the music I heard a few years ago in Brazil. It floats and soars, from mountain tops to white sand beaches, from island to island. WILD NUMSE features the electric rhythm section, with solos from the tenor, trombone and electric guitar. I must confess to not knowing much about the musical makeup of hip hop. But somehow when I combined the idea of hip hop and the music of the big band, this is what I came up with. THE REAL PRINCESS, the final composition I wrote before returning to Virginia, combines several elements. The feeling is a nostalgic look back at my youth. The title comes from the famous H.C. Andersen tale of the prince in search of his princess. And the form and harmonies are derived from a light classical composition from 1890s America. Extra credit will be given to audience members who can identify this original source composition.

A TALE OF 2 CmES was composed as I traveled back and forth between Paris and Copenhagen. Although this was the title I had given to the entire collection, it seems a fitting title for this specific work as well. The music moves between hard swing and a more 'outside' feeling. It is driving and rhythmic and edgy. And it's fun.

Sweeney Todd I saw the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd shortly after it opened on Broadway. It was the most amazing piece of theatre I had ever seen. For that matter, nothing I have witnessed since that 1979 performance has matched it for sheer compositional and emotional artistry. Having completed the music for this concert, and having returned from my islands across the pond, I began to arrange the entire show for big band. JOHANNA is the first title completed from this project.

-TerryVosbein Raphine, Virginia

Arganian, Lillian. Stan Kenton: The Man and His Music . East Lansing, Michigan: Artistry Press, 1989. Harris , Steven D. The Kenton Kronic/es. Pasadena, California: Dynaflow Publications, 2000. Sparke , Michael, and Pete Venudor. Stan Kenton: The Studio Sessions. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: Balboa Books, 1998.

© 2009 Terry Vosbein BOB GRAETTINGER was clearly the most avant­ garde composer on the Kenton staff. Born in California in 1923, he had an unimpressive background until he emerged in 1947 as one of the most futuristic composers in jazz. He left behind hundreds of colorful graphs and charts that he utilized in indecipherable pre-compositional manners. His filling-jarring compositions This Modem World and City of Glass left even Kenton's most devoted followers wondering what the old man was up to. He died in obscurity at the age of 34 from cancer. Kenton and Rugolo were the only musicians at his funeral.

PETE RUGOLO was born in Patti, Sicily in 1915 and moved with his family to southern California when he was five. He studied composition with Darius Milhaud at Mills College and spent the war years leading and writing for an army jazz band. Immediately upon discharge he went to work as chief arranger for Kenton. He shaped the Progressive Jazz period of the Kenton band, setting a standard of experimental composition that was to be one of the hallmarks of the Kenton sound. He left for Hollywood and the studios when the band broke up in 1948, but continued to contribute to the Kenton library for more than a decade.

TERRY VOSBEIN was born into a musical family in the musical city of New Orleans. He spent his first decades immersed in the world of jazz composition and performance, playing and writing and learning. Somewhere along the way he got a few degrees, wrote some symphonies and found himself in Lexington, Virginia. In recent years he has turned back to his jazz roots. His suite Come And Get It has been getting performances in the US, Canada and Australia. Most recently he spent seven months in Europe creating music for a twenty-piece big band. For more information, or to download scores and audio of his compositions, go to www.vosbein.com. - - ,-=;a---_...=__:_:. - -·;_

The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra is comprised of East Tennessee's top professional musicians and performs a wide range of music from America's jazz tradition. The group's performances have been described as energetic, exciting, engaging and highly entertaining. The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra was formed in 1999 by trumpeter /a rranger Vance Thompson. Since that time, the band has appeared on jazz festivals in Europe, released four critically acclaimed CD recordings and performed dozens of concerts in Knoxville, many featuri ng internationally recognized guest artists. The orchestra 's local season features themed events including Jazz is for Lovers, A Swingin ' Christmas, Evening with a Legend, and a Tribute Concert. Visit the band's website at knoxjazz.org, where you can listen to free samples, purchase CDs and sign up for their mailing list.

◄ .,,,.,,,,., , ...... --- (JkJ....•• • ·J Ko Oo•o•• llnoulllc: ~ J,11, OKhc:slra,

SAXOPHONES TROMBONES Doug Rinaldo - alto, flute Tom Lundberg David King - alto, flute Don Hough Alan Wyatt - tenor Nate Malone Will Boyd - tenor Bill Huber Tom Johnson - baritone Brad McDougall - bass

TRUMPETS RHYI'HM Stewart Cox Bill Swann - piano Michael Spirko Rusty Holloway - bass Tom Fox Keith Brown - drums Rich Willey Mark Boling - guitar Vance Thompson David Knight - bongos 2008-2009 Schedule

THE COLUMBIA TRIO

Saturday, 1 November 2008 , 8PM

PROGRESSIVE JAZZ 2009 THE KNOXVILLE JAZZ ORCHESTRA Saturday , 24 January 2009, 8PM

To receive an informative newsletter prior to each SonoK.lect concert, send your name and mailing address to:

[email protected]

or SonoKlect Department of Music Wash ington and Lee University Lexington, VA 24450-2 116

Contact the Lenfest Box Office for free ticket s 540-458.8000