‘Back to Balboa’ CDs Celebrate Stan the Band Man : A five-disc set culls 48 songs and four panel discussions from the Orange County-based, 1991 gala in honor of Stan Kenton.

Here’s an easy one: Which bandleader established the “West Coast” jazz sound, and whose big band in the 1940s was the breeding ground for such jazz stars as Shorty Rogers, Bud Shank, Art Pepper, Shelly Manne, Bob Cooper, June Christy, Bill Holman and Maynard Ferguson?

It’s Stan Kenton, of course, the dynamic pianist, composer and arranger who died in 1979 at age 67.

Kenton debuted his band in May, 1941, at the long-since-torn-down Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, and 50 years later radio station KLON-FM (88.1) commemorated that anniversary with a gala bash called “Back to Balboa.”

That four-day event, which took place in Newport Beach and nearby climes, spotlighted Kenton alumni playing 18 concerts--these featured both their own material and selections associated with Kenton. There were also 10 panel discussions that covered the Kenton era.

The newly released five-CD set, “Stan Kenton 50th Anniversary Celebration: Back to Balboa” on Mama Foundation Records, gives a well-rounded overview of the historic gathering. Edited from 25 hours of material, the package comprises 48 selections played by 12 ensembles and highlights from four panel sessions.

The Kenton all-star alumni band plays “Intermission Riff,” “Peanut Vendor” and, with singer Anita O’Day, “Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong)”; Holman’s big band plays his “And Thad Ain’t Bad,” and Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau band plays Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night in Tunisia.” Other tracks feature Lee Konitz’s quartet, the Lighthouse All-Stars and Bob Florence’s Limited Edition.

The fact that there were so many bands playing so much material pretty much gave Ellen S. Cohn, general manager of Mama, a perpetual headache until the package was released.

“Tracking down who owned the publishing rights on 48 tunes was a major ordeal,” she said. “Companies had been bought and sold; tunes had been traded; it was unbelievably complicated.”

Then came what Cohn referred to as the “Murphy’s Law incidents.”

“Things that could go wrong did,” she said. “For example, the set is housed in a slip cover, and the people who designed that designed it the wrong size.”

But all the work was worthwhile, Cohn said. “I feel the Kenton legacy has been vastly underrated, and I think through this package people will gain a new recognition of how much of a contribution he made to the West Coast music scene,” she said.

The Mama Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 by Gene Czerwinski, inventor of the Cerwin-Vega loudspeakers. The purpose of the foundation, according to Cohn, is “preserving culturally significant music that doesn’t have a large commercial appeal.” Other releases on the label include a quintet album by bassist Andy Simpkins and a trio date with pianist Dave Mackay.

Simone Subs for McRae: Nina Simone has replaced Carmen McRae for a performance at the Hollywood Bowl on Sept. 16. McRae has been ill for almost a year and is unable to perform. The program also sports the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.