“Free Swing” and the Emergent Neophonic
Forging Progressive Jazz with Stan Kenton in the 1947 Dance Hall
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/jazz.v2i1.29Keywords:
Jazz, Stan Kenton, June Christy, Swing, Progressive Jazz, Corn Palace, Big Band, DanceAbstract
After briefly disbanding his Artistry in Rhythm Orchestra in the spring of 1947, Stan Kenton reformed the group to tour dance and concert halls. On 6 November the group performed at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, after which Kenton broadcasted an interview including an arrangement of ‘How High the Moon’ featuring June Christy. As evidenced in a recently discovered recording of this broadcast, Kenton’s contemporaneous views on the direction of jazz in 1947 provide insight into the young leader’s perspectives, values, and motivation. Alongside bold predictions concerning the future dominance of jazz in popular music, Kenton expounds upon emerging notions of “free swing” in an effort to articulate his vision for progressive jazz in terms his audience might best understand and embrace. This paper glimpses Kenton’s nascent aesthetic in context with this decisive period and explores its connection to paths he would pursue throughout his mature career.
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