poor stan was a love him or hate him. anyone who hears this album cannot do anything but love him and his arrangers and muscians. some have said the kenton bands didnot swing here again i say hear this it does move! this is the best thing mr. kenton ever did. i agree with one of the other reviewers that the solo by sam donahue is incredible. please mr. capital-blue note give us more!

As I say above, this is one of the best Kenton albums in my opinion. All the elements are there, screaming brass, soaring reeds! There are two compositions, Turtle Talk and Waltz of the Prophets, by Dee Barton. These are complex charts that really sound great, and are still accessible. Who could forget Bill Holman's arrangement of Malaguena? This song embodies the Kenton sound. It is one of the best! The tenor sax solo on Body and Soul is amazing, Ive never heard anyone else do that with the instrument.

MY FAVORITE KENTON ALBUM! (A tough choice, because I have them ALL !) I waited YEARS for this re-issue, having long since worn out my vinyl copy completely.

In 1963 Stan added a section of mellophoniums (a sort of hybrid, bell-front french horn with pistons, that he and G.C.Conn in Elkhart, Indiana, co-invented) to the band. Since a 14-piece brass section was bigger than a lot of road bands' total number of musicians, the economics of it only allowed Stan to keep it for a little more than a year, but it was the most-recorded edition of the Kenton band. Just listen to Gabe Baltazar's alto, with the mellophones hanging above it, on "Stairway To The Stars" and you'll be hooked for good, too! The band heard here is another one of those Kenton All-Star editions. There are Gabe Baltazar, Sam Donohue, Marv Stamm and Dee Barton, just to name a few. (Check out Sam Donohue on "Body and Soul." Yes, that really IS a tenor saxophone way up there, making the guy on "Saturday Night Live" sound like a beginner!). Add great arrangements from Dee Barton, Johnny Richards, Bill Holman and others, and it's just plain hard NOT to love this album. 5 stars ! (just because they don't offer SIX ! )

Awesome album. Band sounds great. Maleguena is an excellent chart, though Watlz is a little heavy.