Customer Reviews

Si Plays Big Hits 1&2

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Quick, which group won the Downbeat Poll for best big band thirteen times straight? Aw, you peeked. I first saw Si Zentner's "Orchestra" live around 1960 at a shopping center (no malls in those days). An afternoon performance, out in the hot sun, Si and his gang were frankly wonderfully noisy and rowdy beyond belief (for this 12 year old anyway). Most distinct memory was Si telling the audience, "Now settle down, we're going to play something nice and quiet," and then letting all hell break loose, doing something even louder than the previous six songs. This recording (actually a two-fer of 1961-2 Liberty LPs from Collectables) captures that rambunctious spirit, but sometimes squanders the opportunity, choosing instead to showcase some less than compelling hit material. The tracks are all short, good for airplay but frustrating if one wants to hear an extended solo. The well-conceived big band arrangements of the hits are largely high quality, transforming those slim pickin's into aesthetically acceptable, listenable goodies. Zentner's trombone can be stubbornly lyrical, even when the rest of the band is flailing away uptempo. The recorded sound is top-notch (Liberty was an early stereo advocate). Time has been unkind most to the few songs he did with a twist beat, with one glaring exception, the vigorous, joyful "Lazy River," a Grammy-winning single, which still ranks as one of the best two-minute excursions in Hitsville in the early '60s.

As a trombone player, I'm probably biased, but it seems to me that most of the really great big bands were centered around trombone-playing leaders. Tommy Dorsey and Glen Miller played mellow swing; Si Zentner played raucous music that brought a smile to your face. His pedigree was spectacular, playing with Les Brown, Harry James, and Jimmy Dorsey before forming his own band in the late 50s. If you've never listened to his music, this is a great place to start--it is an excellent compilation. The only regret is that his arrangement of "Walk on the Wild Side" was not included.

One of the last big bands, Si Zentner had a unique sound and some fantastic arrangements. There was never a question of who was playing the trombone when you heard a Zentner rendition... Up A Lazy River is a classic example of how he could take a standard and make it new.

Took awhile to find album, but website
came through as usual. Buy it you will
like it.