Stan Kenton: Frank Speaking

By 1952, Kenton was leading an ensemble called New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm and continued to attract excellent soloists and composers. Russo was the chief composer/arranger, although Gerry Mulligan and Johnny Richards contributed some important music to the band during this period. Russo was known for his deep, brooding studies for the orchestra, but he could write upbeat, swinging pieces as well, as shown by this feature for Rosolino, which starts off in medium tempo and then suddenly takes off in high gear with the soloist roaring.