Eddie Safranski is best remembered for his role as bass anchor in Stan Kenton’s most popular big bands (1945-1948). Safranski had a clear, precise, articulated voice and a command of the swing and blues idioms. He was also blessed to have received superb recording quality from Capitol Records’ engineers. His bass recorded far better than those of other companies. Safranski, who studied violin as a child and double bass in highschool, played with Hal McIntyre in 1941-1945, Miff Mole (1945), before joining Kenton. He made some records with Stan Kenton as a leader for Savoy, Atlantic, and he moved to New York in 1948-1949 to pursue work in radio and television studios. He also joined NBC as a staff musician in 1951-1952. He ran master classes and workshops for a double-bass manufacturer and also played swing and bop in various combinations around the Los Angeles area from the late 1960s to his death. Some of his best Kenton recordings include “Artistry in Bolero,””PaintedRhythm,” “Concerto to End All Concertos”, and “Concerto to End All Concertos”. Pete Rugolo also wrote a showcase for him, “Safranski(Artistry in Bass). Allmusic
