Si Zentner and His Orchestra - Desafinado, Swingin' Country

Styles: Jazz
Year: 1962/1966
File: MP3 @ 128K/s
Art: Front

(2:31) 1. Desafinado
(2:54) 2. Maria
(2:13) 3. Quizas, Quizas, Quizas (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps)
(2:18) 4. Speak Low
(2:34) 5. Midnight Sun
(2:54) 6. Goza Goza
(2:24) 7. Bernie's Tune
(2:40) 8. Oso Blanco
(2:14) 9. Come Closer to Me
(2:45) 10. Star Eyes
(2:20) 11. Lisbon Antigua
(2:08) 12. Caravan

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(2:11) 13. Busted
(2:53) 14. Almost Persuaded
(3:20) 15. Born To Lose
(2:32) 16. Make the World Go Away
(2:42) 17. Rablin' Rose
(2:30) 18. Crazy
(2:24) 19. Columbus Stockade Blues
(3:02) 20. Your Cheatin' Heart
(2:11) 21. King Of The Road
(2:24) 22. Hurtin' Heart
(2:42) 23. The Tip Of My Fingers
(2:03) 24. The Race Is On

Si Zentner's aggregation came on the big-band scene late, at the close of the fifties when the era had really passed. Before forming the big band, he had played with Les Brown in 1940, and then moved on to work with Harry James, Jimmy Dorsey and Billy May, as well as doing much studio work. His first group, formed in 1957, was a studio band, and in 1959 it had become a touring band, having a recording contract with Liberty Records. That was no small feat; and flying in the teeth of the current fad, the twist craze, by forming a fifteen-piece orchestra showed a certain chutzpah on Zentner's part, if not insanity. However, it worked, and the band picked up various awards, including a Grammy in 1961 for Best Instrumental and thirteen consecutive wins for Best Big Band in Down Beat polls in the 60s. Like the Billy May bands in which Zentner had appeared, his bands also featured the brass sections, giving a "fat brass" sound.

Recorded in 1963 on the Liberty label, the Desafinado album cashed in on the bossa nova craze of the time. The fifteen pieces were augmented by an added guitarist and percussionist. While not all of the tunes are, strictly speaking, bossa nova ones, they all lend themselves to a bossa nova treatment, most of the arrangements written by the band's piano player, Bob Florence. Other than a couple of originals, Goza, Goza and Oso Blanco by Zentner and Florence, which I found the most interesting of the group, the rest are familiar enough. Some of the tempos have to be slowed down to accommodate the Latin rhythm, such as Midnight Sun, Bernie's Tune or Star Eyes, as a few of them almost seem to threaten to stop, but all are certainly pleasant listening. Not an aficionado of bossa nova myself, I found the unending stream of bossa nova rhythm a bit tedious, but those who are fans will undoubtedly feel differently.

Like the Desafinado album, Swingin' Country appeared first on LP on the Liberty label. Although all selections are country tunes, several are adapted to another current craze of that time, namely the twist. I find these adaptations a little less successful than the bossa nova ones mentioned above. Perhaps, too, country music does not lend itself to big-band treatment quite as well as other genres. However, all of these tunes should be familiar, even to those who are not country music devotees. As to their being "swingin'" I'm not so sure-but entertaining, yes.

On a final note, Zentner was unyielding in his espousal of the big-band format. He refused gigs that did not call for his full band right to the end when he died of leukemia in 2000.By Bert Thompson
http://www.musicinternational.com/jazz/2012/Si_Zentner_CDLK4463.htm

Personnel: Si Zentner - Trombone; Bob Florence - Piano

Si Zentner And His Orchestra Play Desafinado, Swingin' Country

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Si Zentner - Rhythm Plus Blues

Styles: Trombone Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1963
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:38
Size: 80,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:52)  1. Doggin' Around
(3:06)  2. Walkin'
(2:26)  3. What Am I Living For
(2:15)  4. Caldonia
(1:48)  5. Dad-Dad-Dup-Bup-Bup
(3:13)  6. Going To The River
(3:44)  7. Sweetie
(2:08)  8. Puddle Jumpin'
(2:44)  9. Trouble In Mind
(2:31) 10. Honeydripper
(2:56) 11. Blue Prelude
(2:49) 12. Simon Sez

While big bands seemed to be fading fast during the late '50s and early '60s, bandleader Si Zentner was one of the few to front a successful big band enjoying both critical and commercial acclaim. Born Simon H. Zentner on June 13, 1917 in New York City, the future bandleader picked up a violin at the age of four before switching over to trombone, and earned a music college scholarship. Originally studying to be a classical musician, Zentner became interested in more commercial styles of music after lending his skills to a recording session with composer/bandleader Andre Kostelanetz. Throughout the '40s, Zentner learned the tricks of the trade by playing in bands led by such notables as Les Brown, Harry James, and Jimmy Dorsey. Zentner then relocated to Los Angeles, where he worked regularly as a studio musician and from 1949 through 1955, was on the MGM staff (working on such hit movies as Singing in the Rain and A Star Is Born). But Zentner's desire to front his own big band peaked at this time. Signing a recording contract with Liberty Records in 1959, Zentner assembled a large swing outfit, and toured steadily (he once claimed that his band played 178 consecutive one-night stands). While several popular releases came out around this time (1959's Thinking Man's Band, 1960s Suddenly It's Swing, 1963's Waltz in Jazz Time), Zentner's band won a staggering 13 straight Downbeat polls for 'Best Big Band,' as Zentner himself was recognized as 'Best Trombonist' in Playboy's Jazz Reader's Poll. Zentner's band scored their biggest hit in 1961, with a Bob Florence-arranged twist version of Hoagy Carmichael's "Up a Lazy River," which managed to cross over into the Top 40 of the pop charts. Eventually however, the public's interest in big bands had dwindled to the point that even Zentner's fine band found it increasingly hard to attract a substantial audience on tour. Zentner landed back on his feet in 1965, when he moved to Las Vegas and opened the Tropicana Hotel's lounge, the Blue Room, accompanying Mel Tormé. Three years later, Zentner was named musical director for one of Las Vegas' longest-running floor shows, Folies Bergere. But once more, Zentner couldn't turn his back completely on taking a big band on the road, as he assembled another touring group. The '90s saw such new releases as Road Band, Country Blues, and Blue Eyes Plays Ol' Blue Eyes, but later in the decade, Zentner was diagnosed with leukemia. Admirably, Zentner kept performing up until six months prior to his passing, on January 31, 2000 in Las Vegas. ~ Greg Prato https://www.allmusic.com/artist/si-zentner-mn0000754514/biography

Rhythm Plus Blues

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Si Zentner & His Orchestra - My Cup Of Tea

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 31:49
Size: 72.9 MB
Styles: Big band
Year: 1965/2015
Art: Front

[2:14] 1. Wishin' And Hopin'
[2:51] 2. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
[2:12] 3. And I Love Her
[3:01] 4. A Hard Day's Night
[4:37] 5. Forget Him
[2:35] 6. All Cried Out
[1:35] 7. The House Of The Rising Sun
[3:29] 8. Ringo's Theme (This Boy)
[2:12] 9. Twist And Shout
[2:06] 10. How Do You Do It
[2:33] 11. I Want To Hold Your Hand
[2:19] 12. My Cup Of Tea

While big bands seemed to be fading fast during the late '50s and early '60s, bandleader Si Zentner was one of the few to front a successful big band -- enjoying both critical and commercial acclaim. Born Simon H. Zentner on June 13, 1917 in New York City, the future bandleader picked up a violin at the age of four before switching over to trombone, and earned a music college scholarship. Originally studying to be a classical musician, Zentner became interested in more commercial styles of music after lending his skills to a recording session with composer/bandleader Andre Kostelanetz. Throughout the '40s, Zentner learned the tricks of the trade by playing in bands led by such notables as Les Brown, Harry James, and Jimmy Dorsey.

Zentner then relocated to Los Angeles, where he worked regularly as a studio musician -- and from 1949 through 1955, was on the MGM staff (working on such hit movies as Singing in the Rain and A Star Is Born). But Zentner's desire to front his own big band peaked at this time. Signing a recording contract with Liberty Records in 1959, Zentner assembled a large swing outfit, and toured steadily (he once claimed that his band played 178 consecutive one-night stands). While several popular releases came out around this time (1959's Thinking Man's Band, 1960s Suddenly It's Swing, 1963's Waltz in Jazz Time), Zentner's band won a staggering 13 straight Downbeat polls for 'Best Big Band,' as Zentner himself was recognized as 'Best Trombonist' in Playboy's Jazz Reader's Poll. Zentner's band scored their biggest hit in 1961, with a Bob Florence-arranged twist version of Hoagy Carmichael's "Up a Lazy River," which managed to cross over into the Top 40 of the pop charts.

Eventually however, the public's interest in big bands had dwindled to the point that even Zentner's fine band found it increasingly hard to attract a substantial audience on tour. Zentner landed back on his feet in 1965, when he moved to Las Vegas and opened the Tropicana Hotel's lounge, the Blue Room, accompanying Mel Tormé. Three years later, Zentner was named musical director for one of Las Vegas' longest-running floor shows, Folies Bergere. But once more, Zentner couldn't turn his back completely on taking a big band on the road, as he assembled another touring group. The '90s saw such new releases as Road Band, Country Blues, and Blue Eyes Plays Ol' Blue Eyes, but later in the decade, Zentner was diagnosed with leukemia. Admirably, Zentner kept performing up until six months prior to his passing, on January 31, 2000 in Las Vegas. ~bio by Greg Prato

My Cup Of Tea

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