Stan Kenton - Minor Booze 1972 (1) 

Maybe the best 'bone section of any big band ever, led by the amazing Dick Shearer.

Such powerful music!

Hey, if you're ever in Cincinnati, Von Ohlen leads a big band on Wednesday nights at the Blue Wisp in downtown Cincy. 7-8 dollar cover charge. Best 8 bucks you'll spend. He's still kicking it.

You're right. This may be one of Kenton's best bands. John Von Ohlen's style was perfect for the Kenton Orchestra. Still one of the finest big band drummers living today.

Wow. I've been listening to Von Ohlen for over 20 years since discovering 'Live in London' when I was 14. This is the first time I've ever seen him play, though. He's 100 times cooler than I even thought he'd be. Wow, what a monster. I can see why Jeff Hamilton's always talking about him.

Soooooo gooooood!!! Where has that tune been all my life? Thought I’d heard ‘em all since I’ve been a Kenton disciple for 50 years! Minor Booze? Great discovery = great day!! Opening with a walking bass? Oh-oh, you know it’s going to be good! Playing in Kenton’s band would keep a musicians skills sharp Couldn’t let down or allow yourself to get sloppy (unlike other bands that I will not name).

That's got to be my favorite Stan Kenton tune. Willie Maiden wrote it and it COOKS. Have played it several times and I love playing it as much as I love listening to it.

hey man kenton is kick ass i grew up listening to this! My father was a jazz trombonist in Dayton and he dreamed of playing 1st chair for Kenton!! Wow

Who wouldn't have liked to play in this band back in 1972?

The only kenton band member on the Blue Wisp Big Band currently is John Von Ohlen himself. Tim Hagens who was a member of the kenton band was on the Blue Wisp Big Band in the early 80s, however he left for New York in about 1984 . Those are the only two ever that were on Stan Kentons band, and now theres only one, Von Ohlen.

I've listened to about six versions of this tune and I think this group knows how to play the tune. Of course, I AM a Stan Kenton band fan (since 1955).

This 'era' of the Kenton band doesn't get enough credit in my view. I believe, due largely to their later work with odd time signatures and instrumentation, that people often forget that they could flat out SWING with the best of them. This particular chart is a great example and remains one of my favorite Kenton band tunes.

The Kenton band proving it could get into the groove

i'm playing this song for my school on 1st Trombone! it's badass and it's a killer!!!

The trombones are AWESOME!

the best 5 minutes of big band jazz, ever.

We need more bands like this!

Many of the marching bands use them. They are called "marching baritones" or "marching horns". In the early 70's we used to borrow mellophoniums from the UC Berkeley Cal Band and play Kenton charts with them. We wern't the only area band doing it either. UC was doing a tidy little business renting them out

Willie Maiden’s creation...great chart!

Just a note: Ray Brown stopped playing due to surge in his recording studio headphones rupturing his inner ear, not because of a lip injury. In addition to teaching, he continues to be a brilliant arranger for big band and studio orchestra.

Awesome!! I love this tune!

This song was on the Redlands album too

выдающийся оркестр ,который ,я слушал в подростковом возрасте.особенно обалдел от композизиции " в т емпе"

there are those trombones again wow heavy shit!

Nice

Oh, man!! What an exciting band! Thanks for so much for sharing.

For Stan's london cruise he got together a great bunch of top guys, who would show us Brits that the homegrown American jazz was the finest in the world - and didn't he just prove it!!

Kenton Classic

The Rebel Stan & His Band ...........The Best bad boy band EVER.......Ohhhhyeah

Love Minor Booze!!!

I was long gone by '75. Very possible you saw YVHS and one of the girls was probably Nancy Fettig, Kenton saxohonist Mary Fettig's younger sister.

I did not go to El Camino, but I remember that band and their director, Warren C. Heckman. He was a SF State Grad and really got hooked on SK in the late 60's. He was among the first in the bay area to jump on it when the charts were first published. Also Pacific HS in San Leandro and Mt. Diablo HS in Concord were a couple of others I recall. I went to Ygnacio Valley in Concord.

Ok really liking this tune ;-) Smokin'!

Has anyone else noticed the similarity between Willie Maiden's 'Where's Teddy" from Maynard's 'Dancing Sessions' LP, and Willie Maiden's 'A Little Minor Booze"? A startling likeness. Love them both x

This song is the best(:

It's Ray Brown on flugelhorn. I learned the basics of improv from him at Cabrillo College. Ray is an amazing musician and a great guy! He's introduced so many to improvisation. The man has really made a mark in the world of jazz education. Like this arrangement? There's a good chance Ray put the chart together, as he was also arranging for Stan Kenton at the time. Ray also has an awesome jazz arranging course he offers at Cabrillo College. I will forever regret not taking that course and learning how to put a chart together before I moved out of state!

Von Ohlen kicks ass

Monster Chart!!!

Our band plays this.

Flugelhorn solo is by Ray Brown. Ray was with Kenton for a couple of years and now lives and works in the SF Bay area. His brother Steve is a fine guitarist who taught at Ithaca College for years. They are a very musical family.

Minor と、つく曲に駄曲なし‼　そして、Stan Kenton はいつの時代も輝いていた‼

oh man those shakes are kick-ass. thats a monstrous flugel- looks like a euphonium minus 8 feet of tubing

Dude, there are dynamics galore here. The szforzandos are almost oversttated, actually. I get that the overall attitude of this arrangement is "big", but that's the point. And I personally love it, and I personally understand why one might not like it (I guess), but please - this arrangement builds as masterfully as any other in terms of shape and dynamics.

Lucky bastard. That must've been a great time....

I'm pretty sure its a flugel because the lead pipe goes directly into the valves. In a mello, the lead pipe connects with the valves like a trumpet. I do agree that it sometimes sounds more like a mello than a flugel, but that could be the player's choice in mouthpiece or simply how he chose to play.

... was für ein starker Posaunensatz. Da knazt's aber gewaltig im Gebälk, dass es einem vom Stuhl zieht. Kenton 72 ist super-moderner den je. War er aber auch schon ende der 40er.

To answer Hepcat's question as to no jazz bone in 72 video.. I can say partially that I guess that I was one of the few musicians EVER to turn down an offer to play jazz bone in his band.This was a face to face confrontation on the band bus ride from N. Jersey back to Manhattan in 67.Dick Shearer never spoke to me again.It turned out to be a smart move on my part because a year later I began a very successful period as a busy studio trombonist/composer-arranger in Holland!

Ray Brown on Flugelhorn!

So loud and tight

Ray Brown

Wow I found Ray Brown teaches at cabrillo a great teacher

I know. It's almost worth making a trip over there! I'm in Seattle but if I ever find an excuse to swing out there I'll definitely be there.

Why are bones playing the moving eight notes so straight in the opener, when everything else is swinging like crazy? Conscious decision to be different?

Ray Brown needed a shampoo!

niiice. How different is it from other mello's?

Everybody taking about John Von Ohlen and Peter Erskine. No One said a word about Jerry Lestock McKenzie. I think Jerry really kick the band just list to Adventure in jazz, Adventure in blues and Adventure in time

Stan is calling out Quinn Davis on alto & Warren Dale on ( trumpet ) but on this version looks to be flugelhorn

John Worster on bass!

Yeah if you need another example check out Chuck Mangione.

And Jez from 3 Inf Div Post Coiteliers Herb 8th Armoured Ateliers The Durham Light Infantry 10th/11th Hussars (Cherry Pickers) Kev 3rd Carboniers (Princess Diana's Own) 615 SMPS (Queen's Bodyguard Royal Military Police) And innumerable British army regiments formed before the U.S.A was even discovered also say hello.

Who's the Alto saxophone soloist?

That tom harrell on the flugel solo?

@kingkoeller Quinn Davis

KENTON VALE POCO, MA HA SEMPRE SOLISTI DI CLASSE ! (TRIESTE ITALIA).

Dickus! 2:37

Drummistic, It's grammar unless you meant Grammer as in Kelsey! Did you ever study spelling? Or anything else!

Ignorance, most likely. It's common amongst the fashionable :-D

This sounds like bad sound track to a B movie of the fifties. Dreary, directionless, loud, lacking in dynamics. A poor imitation of a great band.