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The type of Mellophonium used by Stan Kenton's orchestra, which variously used mellophone mouthpieces and a specially designed horn-trumpet hybrid mouthpiece for Stan Kenton's band. C.G. Conn developed its 16E "Mellophonium" and first marketed it in 1957. It is essentially a "classic" or "concert" mellophone that has figuratively been partially ...
Though not considered a "financial windfall," Adventures In Jazz and other "mellophonium band" projects were far more solvent than those of the aforementioned group from more than a decade earlier. Until the "Adventures" recording sessions of December 1961, the history of the Kenton band using mellophoniums was rocky.
The band would reform in 1960 with a new look, a new sound, a larger group with a 'mellophonium' section added and an upsurge in Kenton's popularity. [ 2 ] [ 23 ] The Mellophonium was a featured instrument by Stan Kenton from 1960 through the end of 1963.
The first public performance of the Kenton Mellophonium Band was sandwiched between the two Kenton West Wide Story recording sessions. The Mellophonium Band did not make its public debut until March 29, 1961 at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, almost 8 months after the mellophonium was introduced as part of the regular instrumentation. [1]
The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow noted "This is one of the finer recordings by the Mellophonium Band, arguably Stan Kenton's last great orchestra. With the use of 20 horns, Roland was able to get a surprising amount of variety out of the material, making this a Kenton recording well worth investigating". [4]
The first Kenton mellophonium band was a far more symphonic sounding group than earlier versions or periods of the Kenton orchestra. The initial September 1960 sessions function to work through the orchestration and sonic problems presented by such a wide variety and number of instruments being recorded live in the studio.
He left that band for Stan Kenton, where he played in the touring "mellophonium" band in 1963, [1] then settled in New York City to play commercially. Frustrated with commercial playing, Whigham migrated to Germany, where he still lives. [1] He taught at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin.
Roland was a major force in Kenton's mellophonium band of the early 1960s, not only writing for the ensemble but performing as one of the mellophoniums; he also occasionally doubled on soprano sax with the orchestra.