Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (1948)
*** (out of 4)
Warner produced all sorts of "(Fill in Artist Name) and His Orchestra" shorts in their day but this one here is somewhat different as we not only get music but the history behind the music. This short takes a look at the career of Stan Kenton, who started playing at minor dances before building his music up into one of the biggest bands of his day. This shot does a pretty good job at giving us this brief history but the main thing here is the music. This is the first short I've seen from the series that gave us a history lesson and I must admit that it was a nice touch. We get several nice tunes including "If I Could Be With You", "Somebody Loves Me" and "Kenton Blues", his breakout number. The best song is the rocking "I Been Down to Texas" with vocals by Gene Howard. Fans of the old days of jazz will certainly want to check this film out when it pops up on Turner Classic Movies.