Classic Jazz Gems

Pete Rugolo gained his initial fame as Stan Kenton's main arranger of 1945-48, the "Progressive Jazz" years in Kenton's evolution. During that period he purposely wrote in a style similar to Kenton's (although more modern) and he was to Kenton what Billy Strayhorn was to Duke Ellington. The difference was that Rugolo eventually went out on his own and had a major solo career. He became the music director of Capitol Records in 1949, was greatly in demand to write for singers' albums (most notably those of June Christy and Nat King Cole), and later in the 1950s wrote the scores for several television series and films.

In 1954, Pete Rugolo started a series of his big band recordings that featured his colorful writing in a variety of contexts. Adventures In Rhythm was the first of these and is arguably his finest solo album. He utilizes such West Coast jazz greats as trumpeters Shorty Rogers and Maynard Ferguson, trombonist Milt Bernhart, saxophonists Bob Cooper, Bud Shank, Jimmy Giuffre and Bob Gordon, pianist Claude Williamson, guitarist Laurindo Almeida and drummer Shelly Manne along with extra percussion including tympani. While some of the music sounds like it would very well in the repertoire of the Stan Kenton Orchestra, other numbers (such as "Mixin' The Blues," "Jingle Bells Mambo," "Rugolo Meets Shearing" and his reworking of "King Porter Stomp") are pure Pete Rugolo.

There are plenty of surprises to be heard throughout this stimulating and greatly underrated big band gem.

—Scott Yanow