In Stan Kenton’s Defense

With reference to Don Heckman’s article on the reasons for the demise of the big bands (“The Big Band Survival Kit,” June 16), reader Marty Capune (Letters, June 23) refers to two American Federation of Musicians strikes in the 1940s and then states, “After that, the music changed slowly at first, with Stan Kenton playing bebop.”

I played trombone in local big bands in the 1940s and 1950s and was a member of the union. Stan Kenton’s orchestra was far and away my favorite big band of that era. And I never missed one of the band’s live performances within driving distance of where I lived. I even had the pleasure of speaking to Stan a couple of times, and I have a large collection of his recordings from those years and beyond, up until his death.

To say that Stan Kenton, or his orchestra, ever played bebop is, to me, a sacrilege. It’s enough to cause that big band genius to climb out of his grave, and holler in self-defense and set the record straight.

So, to every big-band musician’s beloved Stanley Newcomb Kenton, I say: Rest in peace, good friend. I will say it for you: Never would any Stan Kenton band ever play bebop. Not ever.

THOMAS A. MUNTSINGER

Long Beach

*

Marty Capune’s letter calls the big bands “the best form of popular music this country has ever known” and bemoans their demise at the hands of rock ‘n’ roll.

The big band people hated rock ‘n’ roll. The rock ‘n’ rollers hated disco. The disco people hated punk. The punks hated the dinosaur rockers. Singer-songwriter types hated heavy metal. The alt rockers hate the boy bands. Lots of people hate rap. And every one of these groups feels that its music is the best form of popular music this country has ever known.

Get over yourself.

ROB MEURER

Studio City