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Stan Kenton's Cuban Fire burns anew! UW Big Band to perform jazz classic in concert series around Madison area By Wayne Corey

UW Big Band

(Note: Wayne Corey is a Madison resident who is a Board member of the international Four Freshmen Society and contributes articles to its newletter and Web site. He also has prepared program notes for these concerts which may be found here.)

One of Stan Kenton's most brilliant musical accomplishments is being brought back to life by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Big Band.

Cuban Fire Suite, written and arranged early in the career of Johnny Richards, will be performed in a series of public concerts throughout the Madison area beginning Nov. 24. Other performance dates include Dec. 2, 3, 4 and 8.

Four Freshmen fans have long revered Kenton's music. Kenton memorably "discovered" the Freshmen in 1950 and led them to Capitol Records. The Freshmen and Kenton were irrevocably linked and a decade later recorded one of Kenton's best selling albums, "Road Show" with the Freshmen and June Christy.

UW Big Band director Jim Doherty says he's "been trying to get the band out more" in an effort to stimulate the UW jazz program.

Cuban Fire Suite is certainly stimulating! The band has added the French horns, tuba and Cuban percussion section required to play Richards' charts.

The UW Big Band will be playing one of the most innovative and significant musical triumphs in jazz history. John Stevens, professor of tuba at UW-Madison, will conduct the Cuban Fire Suite. Jon Schipper plays the critical lead trumpet in the suite.

Ted Daryll, producer of the CD reissue of Cuban Fire, says: "It remains an extraordinary coupling of jazz orchestration/improvisation and the deeply felt rhythms of those near and distant cultures."

"Musicians aligned with the Latin jazz movement in this country continue to cite it as an influence and inspiration."

Noted big band critic Jeff Sultanoff calls Cuban Fire "perhaps Kenton's masterpiece. Stan was determined to record a suite that would combine a big band jazz approach with authentic Cuban rhythms and song forms."

Ross Barbour, founding member of the Four Freshmen, wrote of Kenton's "astute vision and creative originality." The Madison area will get to witness that timeless vision and originality as the UW Big Band presents Cuban Fire Suite on these dates:

Nov. 24: 7:30 p.m. at the Middleton Performing Arts Center with the Middleton High School Jazz Band and Tom Washatka, tenor sax, special guest soloist

Dec. 2: 7:30 p.m. at Music Hall on the UW-Madison campus

Dec. 3: 7:00 p.m. at the Verona Public Library

Dec. 4: 1:20 p.m. at Mills Hall, Humanities Building, "Music in performance" class

Dec. 8 7:30 p.m. at Memorial High School with the Memorial HS Jazz Band.