Stan Kenton: Lover

After lulling us with an intro fit for a biopic of some doomed Romantic Composer, including stating the melody as a Chopin waltz, Stan Kenton's "Lover" outraces even Gene Krupa's "Lover" of two years previous. Moreover, while Krupa's cup-muted trumpets maintained a modicum of restraint, that word was missing from Kenton's vocabulary. Well before Detroit decided "bigger is better," Kenton laid on extra brass, widened his voicings and (foretelling Spinal Tap's amp that goes to 11) boosted fortissimo from ff to FFFFFFFFFFF. Vido Musso and Kai Winding solo, but this track is all about mass maniathe madness of crowds.