A Piece of Roger’s Music Lives On: Kenton ’58 at Keesler
Among Roger’s belongings, his wife Ginger found a CD that clearly meant something to him — a live recording of Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, captured on November 11, 1958, at Keesler Air Force Base. Ginger generously donated the disc to DIALOG-X so it could be preserved and shared as part of Roger’s memory.
The recording, released commercially in 1997 on the Astral Jazz label as Kenton ’58: “Live” at Keesler Air Force Base (JCD-102), captures Stan Kenton’s big band jazz orchestra in full force — a mix of Kenton originals, standards, and arrangements from some of the era’s finest jazz composers and arrangers.
The Full Program:
- Theme and Variations
- Kingfish
- The Big Chase
- Yesterdays
- Out of Nowhere
- Everything Happens to Me
- Intermission Riff
- Under a Blanket of Blue
- Younger Than Springtime
- Early Autumn
- High on a Windy Hill
- Opus in Chartreuse
- Kenton Introduces Band Members
- The Nearness of You
- Lullaby of Broadway
- Don’t Take Your Love From Me
- On the Street Where You Live
- When Your Lover Has Gone
- La Suerte de los Tontos
- Stompin’ at the Savoy
- Jump for Joe
- Artistry in Rhythm
If you’d like to hear this recording for yourself, copies are available through Amazon, eBay, and dealers specializing in Stan Kenton recordings.
This disc is a small window into what Roger loved — big band jazz, played live, full of energy. We’re grateful to Ginger for sharing it with DIALOG-X, so a piece of what Roger enjoyed can continue to be part of how we remember him.
Continue/Read Original Article: https://dialoghistory.org/2026/08/12/a-piece-of-rogers-music-lives-on-kenton-58-at-keesler-roger-summit-music/
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