“Artistry in Rhythm”—Stan Kenton (1943)

Added to the National Registry: 2011

Stan Kenton Original label

Stan Kenton’s life might best be described as one long battle: to win over public acceptance in
his struggle to elevate “popular” music by combining elements of jazz and classical sounds into a
new, artistic style of American music. “You’ve got to believe in something to achieve whatever
goal you’re shooting for. My own ideas may be wrong, but I’m going to stick with them until
they break me,” declared Kenton in 1943. At the same time, and from the opposite perspective,
several classical composers like Stravinsky and Villa-Lobos, were incorporating elements of jazz
into their music. “Artistry in Rhythm” was Kenton’s most radical example to date of his
innovative conceptions to effect a combination of the two styles.

When Kenton opened at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA, for the summer season
in 1941, he lacked the essential feature of an identifying song. Every band needed its own
instantly recognizable signature tune, so rather than chose an already-known melody, Stan set to
and composed a 45-second original piece which he called simply “Theme.”

By July 1943, Kenton had expanded the work into the fully developed, semi-symphonic
orchestration that he called “Production on Theme.” But when it was recorded at the band’s first
Capitol session on November 19, 1943, Capitol executives balked at the highbrow title, and
persuaded Kenton it was better named after the orchestra’s slogan—“Artistry in Rhythm.” “And,
of course,” commented Stan, “It’s stuck ever since.”

If Capitol producer Johnny Mercer had found Kenton’s original title too pretentious to be
commercially acceptable, it’s unlikely he was any happier with the music itself; and it’s doubtful
any of the other major companies at the time would have acceded to Stan’s desire to record the
piece at all. But Capitol was a young, pioneering label, and Kenton one of the most persuasive
visionaries ever to walk the planet. “If Stan had chosen politics, he would be President,”
declared June Christy. Even so, Mercer made sure there were three more conventional titles in
the can before he allowed the “Theme” to be recorded as the last title of the session.

Backed by the more simplistic “Eager Beaver,” “Artistry in Rhythm” was issued in February
1944 on Capitol 159, and is often described as a “hit,” which is, in reality, a popular myth. In
fact, the only title from Stan’s first Capitol session that achieved moderate success was the Red
Dorris vocal ballad “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me,” which rose as high as number ten on
“Billboard’s” top 20 chart. But once initial interest waned, “Do Nothin’” sank into obscurity,
whereas,over the long term, “Artistry in Rhythm” has been reissued so many times it must have
sold well over a million copies, and has archived world-wide recognition for its cultural qualities.
One canard haunted Kenton throughout his career. There is no escaping the fact that the melody
of “Artistry in Rhythm” is similar to the theme “Invocation to the Nymphs” from Ravel’s
“Daphnis et Chloe” (2nd Suite). (Sigmund Romberg’s “Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise” also
bears a passing melodic resemblance.) But Kenton always vehemently denied he had
“borrowed” from Ravel, so the likeness is probably coincidental, or possibly subliminal. Stan’s
post-war copyist Clinton Roemer told me, “I mentioned the connection to Stan at Balboa in 1941,
and he said he had never heard the work.” Beyond any doubt is the fact that the Kenton
orchestration was unique, and entirely original.

Central to the piece is the drama achieved by Stan’s imaginative writing, which never strays far
from the melody, but achieves diversity through constantly-changing tonal colors and orchestral
variations. Opening with a dramatic flourish that compels attention, Joe Vernon’s drum break
heralds a majestic, full-band statement of the melody. Kenton’s concert-style piano contributes a
solemn thematic solo, followed by a contrasting string-bass interlude that ups the tempo. Muted
trumpets introduce a swirling sectional solo by the full-bodied saxophones, leading to the closing
passage during which the brass sections perform in counterpoint with each other, until coming
together for the big orchestral climax for which Kenton was famous.

I wouldn’t care to estimate the number of times Stan’s “Theme” was played during a career that
lasted the best part of four decades. Every concert, every dance, and most broadcasts featured
“Artistry in Rhythm” at least once, in both its short and full-length forms. In Pete Rugolo’s
opinion, “’Artistry’ was a perfect trademark for the band. When you heard that theme everybody
knew who it was. People loved it.”

Never commercially recorded, the peak was reached when Rugolo rewrote the Opening and
Closing Themes in 1950, to include strings for the 40-piece Innovations Orchestra. The
sweeping 16-man string section, added to the full Kenton “jazz” band, brought to the piece a new
artistic dimension; or, in the words of one critic, “Symphonic, highly dissonant chords, with the
brass at top volume, produced a spine-tingling emotional effect that could scarcely have been
more impressive.”

Kenton’s being a jazz orchestra, his theme inevitably evolved over the years to suit changing
bands and changing times. In general, as its popularity increased, the strict structure of Stan’s
original arrangement was relaxed, and “Artistry” assumed a looser, more genial character.
Kenton initially demonstrated the tune’s flexibility very deliberately in 1945 by arranging the
number as a swinging, up-tempo chart featuring a savage Vido Musso saxophone solo, released
on Capitol as “Artistry Jumps.” Later projects found the number emerge with bossa nova and
tango rhythmic adaptions, and in 1963 lyrics were added by Milt Raskin and the work renamed
“Night Song.”

But these were only transitory variations. Two permanent changes saw Kenton’s solo move to
open the piece, where he could stretch out his concerto-style piano as long as he wanted, teasing
the audience with variations on the melody. And the addition of Afro-Cuban rhythms gave
“Artistry in Rhythm” a sense of jollity but lost the serious, classical aura of the original. The
power and unambiguity of the 1943 orchestration made it unique and, to this day, a vital
pacesetter in the annals of recorded Kentonia.

Michael Sparke is the author of “Stan Kenton: This Is An Orchestra!” (2011) and “Stan Kenton:
The Studio Sessions: A Discography” (1998). He has contributed Kenton-related liner notes for
the following labels: Capitol, Mosaic, Jasmine, Tantara, and Sounds of Yesteryear. He lives in
England.

* The views expressed in this essay are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Library of Congress.