Michael Sparke

Michael Sparke is a retired teacher living in London, England and was introduced to good music by Woody Herman's First Herd in 1945. Stan Kenton quickly followed on Capitol 78 rpm imported from America. Michael was thus involved with Stan's music almost from the beginning, allowing an insight into all stages of the leader's long and eventful career.

Several Kenton discographies (compiled in collaboration with Pete Venudor and Jack Hartley) culminated in 1998 with "Stan Kenton - The Studio Sessions", published by Balboa Books, and sometimes referred to by collectors as "The Bible".

Stan himself helped with the discography, both from his own recollections, and by setting up introductions at Capitol and other sources of information. Michael first met Kenton in 1963, a relationship that developed during the Orchestra's many visits to Britain in the Seventies, when Stan volunteered several interviews that provided first-hand material from the maestro himself, as well as valuable insights on less "formal" occasions, often detailed in Michael's new book, "This Is an Orchestra!", a title adopted from Stan's iconic 1952 recording "Prologue".

Though many fans will already be familiar with Michael's writing from his many CD liner notes, "Stan Kenton - This Is an Orchestra!" is his first full-length narrative, and as the title implies, is a critical evaluation of the music and musicians, not unsubstantiated incidents in Kenton's private life. Thought-provoking throughout, and at times contentious, "Stan Kenton - This Is an Orchestra!" reflects Michael's deep admiration and regard for both the man and his music, expressed both by the author and in carefully selected quotes by the musicians who made the music. The book is backed up by a companion 2-CD set with the same title on the prestigious Tantara label.

"Stan Kenton - This Is an Orchestra!" has already received critical acclaim from musicians, including Mike Vax, Bob Curnow and Joel Kaye, and also UK critic and Jazz Journal author Steve Voce, who wrote: "(I found it) breathtaking … Impossible to put down. It's unusual to find a book packed with so much research to be a riveting read. I recommend it 100 per cent!"