“‘Stan Neurotic’ - Scott; Ray Tabs Kenton Ork ‘Ugly, Yelling Outfit’.” Down Beat 15.2 (1948): 3.

New York—Np sooner had the January 14 issue of DOWN BEAT hit the streets than a white charger, flames shooting from its eyes, came bursting into our Radio City retreat, wildly waving the periodical in the air.

“Come in, Mr. Scott,” greeted our number one receptionist, but Mr. Scott was already shedding emulsion over the editorial desk, pointing an accusing finger at the banner headline on page one.

“Jazz is neurotic–Stan,” he screamed.

“Hmmm,” we commented. “This kid can read.”

The guy was fuming.

“That thing,” he barked, “Should read, ‘Stan is neurotic—Jazz’.”

A polite chuckle followed on the part pf your reporter, but the speaker wasn’t trying to be funny.

Stan Can’t Crucify

“I don’t think Stan is the man to crucify the band business,” exclaimed Mr. Scott, first name, Raymond. “In fact, I don’t think jazz is to be crucified.”

Yes, this was Raymond Scott, the same who scored his big mark in the music business several years ago introducing what was looked on as a somewhat eccentric style of music featuring a collection of revolutionary original compositions.

Scott’s Analysis

Asked if he referred to Stan’s music in drawing this oh-so-definite conclusion, Scott proceeded to voice his own analysis of the band.

“Personally, I think the new Kenton band sounds ugly and awful,” said Mr. Scott. “On the night I heard it at the Paramount, the reception was awful too.”

Christy Rapped

As an afterthought he added, “June Christy was out of tune and sounded horrible.”

“Bu-bu-but she’s pretty and has a lot of fans,” was the feeble rejoinder.

“The band is not a dance band,” observed the casual Mr. Scott. ”It’s not a band but a special species of machine put together to produce building cement, a house, or something, but certainly not music.”

He paused to watch this sink in. It sank, and he continued.

Band Screams

“When it plays its own concoctions, it sounds like a presentation of screams and harmonies. It’s this band’s music that is neurotic.

“Kenton talks about jazz but offers a series of wild yells, downward yells and upward yells.”

Scott put a finger through the paragraph where Stan made some remarks about Benny Goodman being finished and nor progressing.

“He (Kenton) makes a blanket statement that everyone else in the music business. Including Benny Goodman, a brilliant musician, cannot play jazz,” said Scott.

Defends BG

“I’ll tell you what I like about Goodman,” he continued. “Benny has the ability, the training and the talent to perform and digest many forms of music. He’s made brilliant recordings—Eddie Sauter stuff and that of other modern arrangers. Then, by contrast, he has performed with symphonies, has played Mozart and Hora Staccato, yet he has given America one of the greatest swing bands it ever has had. He has tried them all and when he plays one style, it is not because of helplessness at playing any of the others, but because he has chosen this particular thing at a certain time.”

We urged Scott on. “Do tell!”

“Stan,” he continued, “plays his kind of music because he’s helpless. It’s all similar to an illiterate who hasn’t a vocabulary and must rely on a collection of slang and curse words. Neither knows any other way of expressing himself.”

Reeds Childish

With a mere twist of the head, he again turned to his observations on the band’s performance, noting, “When it plays show music for the acts, the poor-quality, high-schoolish, out-of-tune, tonally-terrible reed section contributes to an amazingly disgraceful performance.

This covered, Raymond then questioned Stan’s authority to condemn jazz.

“He talks about jazz as though he’s the only one who plays it,” said Scott. “Stan claims jazz is neurotic. If jazz could talk, it certainly would say that Stan is neurotic!

“The extreme one-sidedness of their music fare is spectacular proof of their neurotic trend.”

Scott tapered off with another sick of Beechnut as he folded the Beat.

Getting Nowhere

“Like the character on a treadmill,” Raymond began drawing a simile. “He’s walking furiously, expending a lot of effort and getting nowhere—musically—no matter how fast he runs or walks, or how much energy he put in, he’s right in the middle of the musical maze that, I feel, he requires to make him happy.”

Raymond pointed an index finger at a definite number.

Likes ‘Vendor’

“I think Peanut Vendor is presented very well,” he beamed, then added, “until the alto player comes out and performs like someone who’s taken lessons but three-and-a-half months.”

“Artistry in Rhythm is only a subconscious copy of a radio program idea, Concert in Rhythm, that was on the air for eight months about eight years ago.”

We put on out best Fred Allen air and asked, “And in conclusion?”

Admires the Man

“I’d like to say,” thoughtfully answered by Scott, “That Stan Kenton, personally, is a helluva swell guy in my estimation.”

And with these words, the charges, no longer shooting flames from his eyes, took leave of our quarters.—jeg