Eager Beaver
Eager Beaver
as performed by Stan Kenton Orchestra
$80
Stan Kenton’s early band came out of the swing era with dance charts like Eager Beaver, his first hit, but even here you can see the band trying to push the limits of swing and jazz. This piece has a lot of components that all work together, including lots of meaty low trombone notes, fanfare-ish trumpet lines, smooth swinging saxes, and even moments that feature the rhythm section. This is a little tricky for a 3 but not quite as intense as a 4. Note: This transcription is based mostly on two early 1943 recordings that have slight differences but are mostly identical.