Customer Reviews

Road Band

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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If you love big band with agreat beat, this is a must for big band music lovers. I first heard Zentner during the 1960's when I worked for a juke box company and put his 45,s on the juke boxes. His style was so very poplar back then and still is fabulous to listen to and dance to. My wife was an Arthur Murray dance instructor in the late 50's, when she taught me to dance using Si Zentner recordings. The trombone of Si comes thru so smoothly in his rendition of Londonderry Air. This album prompted me to buy his Country Blues CD.

Si Zentner was exceedingly popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s. His music is still very listenable today. His instrument was the slide trombone. In his own playing, he insisted on 100% professionalism - extremely clean and crisp execution.

And he asked that of his players as well. So his sound comes across well today, albeit that it's hard to fit into a convenient pigeonhole. It's not "easy listening" or smooth jazz. And it is not very improvisational, either. If it had been performed a decade before, it would almost certainly have made it into the "Standards" catalog so dominated by the Dorseys, Glen Miller and Alvy Taylor.

As it is, he competes with a dwindling number of "latter day" bandleaders, like Nelson Riddle, and simply cannot command the same name recognition. However, that said, give his stuff a listen! You'll hear intelligent, clean, competent playing which really swings.

This album is his excursion into "international" thematics. Some cuts are stronger than others. My favorite is "Sukiyaki," the original Japanese version of which actually scored high on American charts in the 1960s.

I was first introduced to the music of Si Zentner by my father.
He had about 10 Si albums and played them constantly. He played
in a band and was up on all the current sounds.

The Si Zentner band never sounded dated. The horns were fresh,
the music current and the arrangements very up to date.

The Road Band CD covers most of the album "It's Nice to Go
Travelling" and the "More" album from the early to mid-60's.

Tracks like "Mission to Moscow", "Persian Market" and "Slow Boat
to China" still sound fresh today! For a great big band sound
that is not dated, Si is the man! The music sounds better than
I ever heard it on dad's albums. Great sound quality brings out
a lot that wasn't there before.