WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- When you think about the greats in the jazz world, you might think of names like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, or Nina Simone. You may also think of more contemporary artists like Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, or Kieth Jarrett. However, there's one name you may or may not know who also happened to have been born here in Wichita. Stan Kenton was born on this day in 1911 in Wichita to Floyd and Stella Kenton, although he died believing he had been born in February of 1912. His parents had moved to Wichita from Colorado to hide the fact that he had been conceived out of wedlock. Portrait of Stan Kenton and Eddie Safranski, 1947 or 1948. (Photo by William P. Gottlieb/Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Fund Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress/Getty Images) The family eventually moved to Bell, California, now part of the greater Los Angeles area. He took up piano and organ in high school and, by his 20s, was playing in big bands in the Los Angeles area. He went on to form his own big band and slowly built a name for himself. Over his career, he has released over 50 albums and had 20 recordings that reached the Billboard Top 100. He was one of the pioneers of the Third Stream, a musical movement that combined Jazz with elements of classical music. He was also a pioneer in music education, with his Stan Kenton Band Camps laying the groundwork for high school and college bands that continues to today. Between 1962 and 1967, he was nominated for five Grammys, winning twice in the Rock n' Roll era. He was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. He released two popular albums that utilized the Melaphonium, a brass instrument that was something between the trumpet, French horn, and trombone. It was a popular instrument for marching bands but was only in production for about 20 years. His life and career were not without controversies; he was an alcoholic, likely an abusive father, and may have been racially prejudiced, and with the exception of his work in the 1950s, his recordings in the 40s, 60s, and 70s were mostly dismissed by critics. However, his contributions to music are undeniable. Kenton died on Aug. 25, 1979, in Los Angeles at 67, after suffering a stroke. His ashes were scattered in the Garden of Roses at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles. If you want an introduction to his music that fits the holiday season, he released an album of reworked Christmas songs titled "A Merry Christmas," which is available to purchase or stream on Amazon, Apple, or Spotify.