to come up with nine ballads on standards that have become legendary for composers and arrangers to study. The recording of Standards in Silhouette It was the end of an era for this incarnation of Kenton orchestras. September 21–23 of 1959 were the very last recording sessions the band would do, the next studio time in Hollywood would be utilized by what would come to be known as the first Kenton mellophonium bands. The three days are for the recording of not just "Standards in Silhoutte" but also "Viva Kenton". Many bands have been called a leader's "best," this last Kenton incarnation of the 1950s bands may very well be the best. It is hard to fathom within three days of a jammed packed recording schedule a group could pull off one of Kenton's most subtle and introspective recordings and then a commercial 'cha cha' album in the opposite direction in terms of style and approach. As trombonist Archie LeCoque recalled, "...it was hard, but at the time we were all young and straight-ahead, we got through it and both albums came out well." By 1959 Stereophonic sound recording was now being fully utilized with all major labels. One of the great triumphs of the Standards in Silhouette album is the combination of the room used, the music, a live group with very few overdubs, and the recording being in full stereo fidelity (and later remastered to digital). Bill Mathieu was highly skeptical of the decision to record his music in a cavernous ballroom like Cuban Fire! and The Stage Door Swings had been done just a few years before. Mathieu adds, "Stan and producer Lee Gillette were absolutely right: the band sounds alive and awake (which is not easy when recording many hours of slow-tempo music in a studio), and most importantly, the players could hear themselves well in the live room. The end result is the band sounds strong and cohesive, and the album is well recorded." Soloists on Standards in Silhouette On Standards in Silhouette the soloists are the final touch that complete the picture. The set of solos by just Charlie Mariano alone are each masterpieces that foreshadow the future soulful playing later on from alto players such as David Sanborn and Dick Oatts. It is one of Mariano's most influential set of tracks, though only delivered as a sideman. Ironically, Mariano was later critical of