Robert Graettinger

Robert Frederick Graettinger ( born October 31, 1923 in Ontario (California ), † March 12, 1957 in Los Angeles ) was an American composer and arranger, who is mainly known for his work for Stan Kenton.

Life and work

Graettinger attended the Westlake School of Music in Los Angeles and began as an alto saxophonist and arranger in dance orchestras. Then he worked among others, Benny Carter, Bobby Sherwood, Alvino Rey and Johnny Richards. He moved primarily to composing. In 1947, he offered to Stan Kenton his composition Thermopylae. Until 1953, he continued to contribute to the repertoire of Kenton's Innovations Orchestra; at this time he studied composition with Russell Garcia. Other compositions like This Modern World, House Of Strings, Incident In Jazz and City of Glass were initially received very mixed from the audience. Decades later led to precisely these works that Graettinger played a late recognition. "No one before had written such complex arrangements, never before had someone so original and confidently on the boundary line between jazz and classical music moves along. " Graettinger died of cancer.

On the initiative by Gunther Schuller, a part of the works of Graettinger with the Dutch Ebony Band was re-listed. In addition to the compositions and arrangements of classics listed by Kenton is also up there unaufgeführte compositions. Graettingers a symphonic Third Stream compositions are characterized by an interesting Polystilistic with polyphonic density and atonal passages. Kenton's recording of " City of Glass " was included in the list Wire The Wire 's " 100 Records That Set the World on Fire (While No One Was Listening ) " 1998.

Discography

With Stan Kenton:

• Thermopylae (78 ) 1947
• Everything Happens To Me ( 78) 1947
• A Concert in Progressive Jazz ( it " Thermopylae " )
• Innovations in Modern Music ( on "Incident in Jazz" ) 1950
• Kenton Presents ( on "House of Strings" ) 1950
• City of Glass (10 ") 1951
• The Kenton Era ( on " Modern Opus " and "You Go to My Head " ) 1952
• City of Glass / This Modern World 1953

The Ebony Big Band:

• City of Glass: Robert Graettinger 1994