1958 · Album
Lush Interlude
Recorded 1958 · Capitol · Instrumentation: Stan Kenton orchestra: trombones, strings, flute (Bud Shank)
Strings and Restraint: Kenton Reimagines His Legacy
Kenton strips down to essentials—no brass sections, just trombones, strings, and a single flute—to revisit his own compositions.
By 1958, Stan Kenton had spent nearly two decades establishing himself as a bandleader with outsized ambitions and a taste for orchestral scale. Lush Interlude represents something unusual for him: not a new direction, but a deliberate step backward into his own catalog. He takes signature pieces from the 1940s and reframes them with a massive string section, keeping only his trombones from the brass. The trumpet and sax sections are gone entirely. Bud Shank appears as a solo flutist—the sole woodwind voice—which gives these arrangements an almost chamber-like quality despite their lush orchestration.
The concept is restraint masquerading as expansion. Kenton's earlier big-band sound relied on power and density; here, he achieves weight through strings instead. The trombones still carry his harmonic signatures, but they're no longer fighting for space with screaming brass. Shank's flute floats above everything, delicate against the string bed. It's a softer Kenton, less aggressive, but that doesn't make it subtle—these are still fully realized orchestral statements, just ones that trade punch for richness.
This wasn't a commercial peak or a critical breakthrough. It sits somewhere between curiosity and caprice in Kenton's discography—a one-off experiment that worked on its own terms but didn't reshape what came after. For listeners drawn to his earlier work, it offers a chance to hear how he heard his own best ideas when given time to redesign them. For everyone else, it remains a smart session that proves Kenton could be as effective with restraint as with spectacle.
Who's playing
Don Bagleybass
Red Mitchellbass
Joe Mondragonbass
Stan Kentonpiano
Laurindo Almeidaguitar
Jim Amlottetrombone
Milt Bernharttrombone
Bob Fitzpatricktrombone
Kent Larsentrombone
Ken Shroyertrombone
Bud Shankflute
Frank Flynnpercussion
Larry Bunkerpercussion
Shelly Mannepercussion
Israel Bakerviolin
David Frisinaviolin
Benny Gillviolin
Murray Kellnerviolin
Lou Klassviolin
Robert La Marchinacello
Dan Lubeviolin
Al Lustgartenviolin
Virginia Majewskiviola
Alex Neimannviola
Erno Neufeldviolin
Lou Radermanviolin
Kurt Rehercello
Nathan Rossviolin
Joseph Saxoncello
Sanford Schonbachviola
Paul Shureviolin
Marshall Sossonviolin
Dave Sterkinviola
Armand Kaproffcello
Eleanor Slatkincello
Where next?
More by Stan Kenton
All 37 albums →
The musicians on this record
The Drum Sessions 1975
Shelly Manne
plays percussion here
plays percussion here
Bob Brookmeyer Featuring John Williams & Red Mitchell 1963
Red Mitchell
plays bass here
plays bass here
