Mellophoniums added a quasi-French horn sound to the Kenton band for about three years in the early 1960s. This unique ensemble recorded only a few albums, so it's always a treat to find CD releases that preserve its sound, and in this case, let us experience a live performance. The 15 tracks presented here were recorded in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1962. The audio is clear and well-balanced. The arrangements, a mix of dance and jazz tunes, were done by Gene Roland and Lennie Niehaus, a couple of Kenton's most memorable writers. There's nice solo work, particularly from Gabe Baltazar on alto sax, Allan Beutler on baritone sax, and Marvin Stamm on trumpet.
These arrangements weren't designed to showcase the sax section, but the unusual scoring is quite noticeable. Instead of the usual two altos, two tenors, and baritone, these charts were written for one alto, two tenors, baritone, and bass sax.
