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Bond (on Vinyl) is back! Today, we’re taking it back to the beginning and listening to music from Dr. No and From Russia With Love!
Born in New York City in 1917, Simon Hugh Zentner started playing the violin at the age of four. Later in childhood, he sought to master the trombone and earned a music college scholarship for his abilities. Originally, Zentner aimed to be a classical musician. However, he switched his focus to commercial music after playing for a recording session with composer Andre Kostelanetz. During the 1940s, Zentner continued to learn the tricks of the trade by playing in bands led by Jimmy Dorsey and Henry James.
During World War II, Si moved to Los Angeles, finding work as a studio musician. He eventually was on the staff at MGM and stayed until 1955, working on ‘Singing in the Rain’ and the 1954 version of ‘A Star Is Born’.
Zentner’s desire to lead his own big swing band eventually led him to get a contract with Liberty Records in 1959. While most big bands were dying off at the time, Zentner took his orchestra show on the road. He played a steady stream of ballrooms, clubs, and colleges. So steady, in fact, Zentner was quoted to have played 178 one-night stands in a row. The band also found commercial and critical success at this time. They won polls as ‘Best Big Band’ for 13 years in a row. Zentner specifically was recognized as ‘Best Trombonist’ in Playboy’s Jazz Reader’s Poll. The band scored their biggest hit in 1961, with a twist version of “Up a Lazy River,” which reached the Top 40 of the pop charts and won a Grammy award for Best Instrumental Number
The public’s interest in big bands dropped off in the mid-1960s. Zentner then moved to Las Vegas and opened The Blue Room, the lounge at the Tropicana Hotel, in 1965. However, within a few years, he was back touring with a big band on the road. Remarkably, Zentner kept performing up until six months before his passing in January 2000.
Fortunately for us, this 1965 compilation album from Liberty Records features a great rendition of Monty Norman’s ‘The James Bond Theme’ as well as a big band version of Lionel Bart’s ‘From Russia With Love’ on the B-Side. Unfortunately, this “Best of” album does not include Zentner’s cover of the ‘007 Theme,’ but that is a story for another time.
126. Si Zentner – The Best Of Si Zentner
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