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Adventures In Jazz is the Grammy Award winning album for the Best Jazz Performance – Large Group (Instrumental) category in 1963. The LP was recorded by Stan Kenton and his orchestra in late 1961 but not released until about a year later in November 1962. This would be Kenton’s second Grammy honor in as many years with the first being Kenton’s West Side Story winning the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 1962. Adventures In Jazz was also nominated for Best Engineered recording (other than classical and novelty) for the 1963 Grammys. The 1999 CD re-issue of Adventures In Jazz is augmented with two alternate takes from the original recording sessions and one track from Kenton’s release Sophisticated Approach (https://goo.gl/bhvpw9).

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow:
This excellent outing by the 1961 edition of Stan Kenton’s orchestra has one classic (Bill Holman’s arrangement of “Malaguena”), a superior solo by altoist Gabe Baltazar on “Stairway to the Stars,” a feature for Ray Starling’s Mellophonium (“Misty”), a good workout by veteran tenor Sam Donahue on “Body and Soul,” Holman’s reworking of “Limehouse Blues,” and two colorful Dee Barton composition/arrangements. This well-rounded LP (which also has some solos by trumpeter Marvin Stamm) is one of Kenton’s best of the era. [A 1999 reissue by Blue Note added three bonus tracks and remixed sound.] (https://goo.gl/6e9RZ6).

Track listing:
1. “Turtle Talk” Dee Barton 5:32
2. “Stairway to the Stars” Matty Malneck/Mitchell Parish/Frank Signorelli 5:50
3. “Limehouse Blues” Philip Braham/Douglas Furber 4:29
4. “Malagueña” Ernesto Lecuona 4:25
5. “Misty” Johnny Burke/Erroll Garner 3:37
6. “Waltz of the Prophets” Dee Barton 6:45
7. “Body and Soul” Frank Eyton/Johnny Green/Edward Heyman/Robert Sour 5:20
8. “It Might as Well Be Spring” Oscar Hammerstein II/Richard Rodgers 5:17
9. “Waltz of the Prophets (First Version)” Dee Barton 6:32
10. “Body and Soul (First Version)” Eyton/Green/Heyman/Sour 5:24

Personnel:
Tracks 1–7
Piano, Conductor – Stan Kenton
Alto saxophone – Gabe Baltazar
Tenor saxophone – Sam Donahue (3/4/6/7), Buddy Arnold, Paul Renzi
Baritone saxophone – Allan Beutler
Bass saxophone – Joel Kaye
Trumpet – Dalton Smith, Bob Rolfe, Marvin Stamm, Bob Behrendt, Norman Baltazar
Mellophonium – Keith LaMotte, Carl Saunders, Ray Starling, Dwight Carver
Trombone – Bob Fitzpatrick, Dee Barton, Bud Parker
Bass Trombone or Tuba – Jim Amlotte, Dave Wheeler
Bass – Pat Senatore
Drums – Jerry Lestock McKenzie

Track 8
Piano, Conductor – Stan Kenton
Alto saxophone – Gabe Baltazar
Tenor saxophone – Sam Donahue, Paul Renzi
Baritone saxophone – Marvin Holladay
Bass saxophone – Wayne Dunstan
Trumpet – Dalton Smith, Bud Brisbois, Marvin Stamm, Bob Behrendt, Bob Rolf
Mellophonium – Keith LaMotte, Carl Saunders, Gene Roland, Dwight Carver
Trombone – Bob Fitzpatrick, Jack Spurlock, Bud Parker
Bass Trombone or Tuba – Jim Amlotte, Dave Wheeler
Bass – Red Mitchell
Drums – Jerry Lestock McKenzie

Track 9–10
Piano, Conductor – Stan Kenton
Alto saxophone – Gabe Baltazar
Tenor saxophone – Sam Donahue, Paul Renzi
Baritone saxophone – Marvin Holladay
Bass saxophone and Baritone saxophone – Allan Beutler
Trumpet – Dalton Smith, Bob Rolfe, Marvin Stamm, Bob Behrendt, Norman Baltazar
Mellophonium – Keith LaMotte, Carl Saunders, Ray Starling, Dwight Carver
Trombone – Bob Fitzpatrick, Dee Barton, Bud Parker
Bass Trombone or Tuba – Jim Amlotte, Dave Wheeler
Bass – Pat Senatore,
Drums – Jerry Lestock McKenzie

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Released: Adventures In Jazz
– 1962 original LP
– 1999 re-issue CD
Recorded: July 5, 1961
in Hollywood at Capitol Records
September 26, 1961
at Manhattan Center in New York City (original LP)
December 11/12/14, 1961
in Hollywood at Capitol Records (extra re-issued material on CD)
Length: 35:32 (original LP)
53:11 (CD re-issue)
Label Capitol
Producer -All original LP recordings
by Lee Gillette
-Re-issued CD by Michael Cuscuna