I particularly like the Kenton Orchestras of 1954-55 with arrangements by Bill Holman and star-studded personnel including Sam Noto, Stu Williamson, Buddy Childers, Frank Rosolino, Carl Fontana, Lennie Niehaus, Charlie Mariano, Davey Schildkraut, Bill Perkins, Mel Lewis and Stan Levey. There's a lot of this material on two Contemporary albums: Kenton Showcase and Contemporary Concepts. If you already like Art Pepper, a good way into Kenton is via Those Kenton Days (Definitive).