Robert Graettinger
Robert Frederick Graettinger was an American composer, best known for his work with Stan Kenton.
Biography
Graettinger grew up in Ontario, California, United States, learning to play the saxophone in high school. While at school he also began arranging music. In the 1940s he played alto saxophone with Benny Carter among others. Around this time he focused more on composing.In 1947 he offered a short composition, "Thermopylae", to Stan Kenton, who decided to record it. Graettinger then came up with "City of Glass", a four-part tone poem. At this time he was studying composition under Russell Garcia.
Graettinger's radical polystylistic soundworld, with its polyphonic density and bracing atonality, while drawing on ideas previously explored by the likes of Charles Ives, Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland and even Arnold Schoenberg, still remains truly distinctive. He died aged only 33, of lung cancer.
Discography
Capitol recordings with Stan Kenton
- Thermopylae 1947
- Everything Happens To Me 1947
- A Presentation of Progressive Jazz
- Innovations in Modern Music 1950
- Stan Kenton Presents 1950
- City of Glass 1951
- The Kenton Era 1952
- This Modern World 1953
The Ebony Big Band
- City of Glass: Robert Graettinger 1994
- The Ebony Big Band: Live at the Paradiso — Robert Graettinger 1998
Terry Vosbein and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
- Progressive Jazz 2009 2009
Arrangements and compositions created for Kenton
- Afternoon +
- April in Paris
- April in Paris
- Autumn in New York
- Beachcomber, The +
- Cello, A +
- Cello Solo +
- City of Glass +
- City of Glass +
- Condolence +
- Cuban Pastorale +
- Everything Happens to Me
- Everything Happens to Me
- Fine and Dandy
- Graettinger No.1 +
- Graettinger No.2 +
- Graettinger No.3 +
- Horn, A +
- House of Strings +
- I Only Have Eyes for You
- I'm in the Mood for Love
- Irresistible You
- Laura
- Lover Man
- Modern Opus +
- Molshoaro +
- Orchestra, An +
- Piece for Flute and String Quartet +
- Some Saxophones +
- Suite for Small Orchestra +
- Suite for String Trio and Wind Quartet +
- Theme +
- Thermopylae +
- Thought, A +
- Thought, A +
- Too Marvelous for Words
- Transparency +
- Trumpet, A +
- Untitled +
- Untitled Piece for Innovations Orchestra +
- Untitled Piece for Jazz Band +
- Untitled Piece for Jazz Band +
- Untitled Piece for Jazz Band +
- Untitled Piece for Jazz Band + Conte Candoli feature
- Untitled Piece for Jazz Band + Frank Rosolino feature
- Untitled Piece for Jazz Band +
- Untitled Piece for Jazz Band +
- Untitled Piece for Strings +
- Walkin' by the River
- Yenta +
- You Go To My Head