Towards the end of World War II, a conscious movement towards the creation of a new style of big band jazz became apparent on America's west coast.
The longest established of these self-styled "progressives" was Stan Kenton; then came Boyd Raeburn, and finally Earle Spencer.
Its compositions were progressively styled in the spirit of Stan Kenton, Johnny Richards, and Boyd Raeburn.
[6] When Kenton was in his Artistry in Rhythm phase, Earle Spencer was running a roadshow version of the same thing.
[8] Big bands were finding it difficult to survive in the late 1940s and were faced with limited bookings; so Spencer disbanded after a gig in Dallas.