Si Zentner

While the era of prominent big bands was waning rapidly in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Simon H. Zentner stood apart by leading one that achieved both critical praise and commercial success. Born in New York City on June 13, 1917, he first took up violin at age four, later switching to trombone and securing a scholarship to music college. Although his initial training aimed toward classical performance, a session with composer and bandleader Andre Kostelanetz sparked his interest in more commercial styles. During the 1940s he gained practical experience playing in ensembles directed by Les Brown, Harry James, and Jimmy Dorsey.

After moving to Los Angeles, Zentner worked extensively as a studio musician and served on the MGM staff from 1949 to 1955, contributing to films such as Singing in the Rain and A Star Is Born. His ambition to lead his own big band intensified during this period. In 1959 he signed with Liberty Records, formed a large swing ensemble, and maintained a rigorous touring schedule that once included 178 consecutive one-night stands. Among the popular recordings issued then were Thinking Man's Band in 1959, Suddenly It's Swing in 1960, and Waltz in Jazz Time in 1963; the group also captured 13 consecutive Downbeat polls as Best Big Band, while Zentner himself earned recognition as Best Trombonist in Playboy's Jazz Reader's Poll. The band's most notable success arrived in 1961 with a Bob Florence-arranged twist rendition of Hoagy Carmichael's "Up a Lazy River," which reached the pop charts' Top 40.

As public enthusiasm for big bands continued to decline, even Zentner's accomplished outfit struggled to draw consistent crowds on the road. In 1965 he relocated to Las Vegas, where he opened the Tropicana Hotel's Blue Room lounge and backed Mel Tormé. Three years later he became musical director for the long-running Folies Bergere floor show. Still drawn to leading a large ensemble, he organized another touring group. The 1990s brought fresh recordings including Road Band, Country Blues, and Blue Eyes Plays Ol' Blue Eyes. Later in the decade Zentner received a leukemia diagnosis yet continued performing until six months before his death in Las Vegas on January 31, 2000.