On Monday night, December 22, the Capitol Bones All- Brass Big Band presented an exciting program of Christmas music at Alexandria’s Birchmere, a self-billed “Christmas Brass Spectacular.” Unlike last year, however, when the Capitol Bones presented some Stan Kenton Christmas-style selections along with other big band Christmas staples at the same venue, this year the aggregation returned to its roots and earlier Christmas outing “A Stan Kenton Christmas.” The music of progressive big band leader Stan Kenton remained in sharp focus the entire evening.
The program was anchored in thrilling re-creations of Christmas carols which were performed on Kenton‘s 1961 Capitol Records album “A Merry Christmas!“ Unlike most big bands, the early 1960s Kenton orchestra featured, in addition to trumpets and trombones, a mellophonium section, for which the Capitol Bones (“Bones” for trombones) successfully substituted the more common mellophones. Matt Niess, trombonist and nominal leader of the Capitol Bones, recalled that his father told him that, in the 1940s, “ people went to hear Glenn Miller play live so they could dance and socialize; people went to Stan Kenton concerts to listen.“ Kenton created a much more symphonic style big band with rich tonal color, on display magnificently in the Capitol Bones Christmas Kenton pastiches of “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Good King Wenceslas,” and “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” among others.
In agreeing to record an album of Christmas favorites, Kenton would reportedly only allow songs which were carols of a sacred nature to enter the playlist. A wonderful aspect of the Capitol Bones Christmas performance was that it also included secular Christmas songs, but arranged in the Stan Kenton style, in one case by one of Kenton’s own arrangers especially for the Bones. Given the Stan Kenton treatment were “The Christmas Song,“ “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” (with an engagingly “mean” trombone solo by Mr. Niess), and an especially pensive “Christmas Time Is Here.” An especially memorable piece was Matt Niess’ arrangement of “My Favorite Things” from “The Sound of Music,” a Broadway tune which is sometimes played during the holiday season. Here it was arranged in the spirit of Kenton with fast-paced jazz rhythm and full brass sound.
Vocalist Lena Seikaly joined the proceedings, occasionally scat-singing. While many vocalists would find singing over five trumpets, five trombones, and four mellophones a daunting challenge, her voice soared above the orchestra in “Winter Wonderland,“ “Let it Snow! Let It Snow!,” and Cole Porter’s “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” (this time duetting only with pianist Tony Nalker), and Peggy Lee’s non-Christmas outing “ I Love Being Here with You.“ The performance then ended with a non-Christmas Kenton arrangement of “Malagueña,” perhaps the showstopper of the evening.
The audience reaction at the Birchmere was ecstatic. It is the only time this reviewer has seen a big band given two standing ovations. We indeed look forward to future Stan Kenton-inspired performances of the Capitol Bones!
