[ Si Zentner Orch. ]
b. June 17, 1917, New York, NY, USA. d. Jan. 31, 2000, Las Vegas, NV, USA. (Leukemia)
Trombone.
Theme Song "Up A Lazy River"
Here's a photograph of Si Zentner, who got his start with the Van Alexander, band in the late 1930's ('38). Van started the careers of a great many good men including Ray Barr (Frankie Laine's accompanist); Irv Cottler; Butch Stone and Shelly Manne. But, Si is probably best remembered for his tromboning with the Les Brown Orch. in the 1940's, although he also played with both the Abe Lyman, and Jimmy Dorsey orchestras. Si was also on call by all the major studios in Hollywood, and had worked at MGM as a staff musician.

Si once told George T. Simon that when Les Brown's orchestra played at the New York World's Fair, the band had a new young girl vocalist. Her mother only trusted Si to escort her home in the evenings. The girl's name was Doris Day.

In 1957 he launched a big band of his own, in Los Angeles, CA. Most every one had given up on the big band business, but Si wanted to prove that there were still some life left in the big bands. He undertook an arduous uphill battle to achieve some of the successes enjoyed by the bands of the 30's and 40's.

The band started touring with Si's wife Frances acting as band manager. In January 1959 they played their first date at The Hollywood Palladium. The gig went so well that the band was brought back for several repeats. With some favorable reviews in "Downbeat", the future of the band seemed bright.

Zentner's big break came in 1960, with Liberty Record's release of "Up A Lazy River". This became a big hit for him. It brought a wave of prosperity which sustained the orchestra into the mid 60's and later got him a contract with RCA Victor. He also recorded for Bel Canto Records.

In 1965 he went into the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. He became the hotels musical director staying on to make it his home until the early seventies.

In private correspondence, Mr. John Mack, trombonist with the Sy Zentner band, has recalled:

     I was lucky to be with Si Zentner a short while as a 'bone player,
     and I also wrote some charts for him. Things I remember about Si
     was that he had incredible breath control. He could play very long
     phrases and made it very hard to match him in 'section' situation.
     Si started out on violin in his younger days, but switched to
     trombone and within a year received an Outstanding Award for his
     talent. I kept in touch with him until his death. He sent me some
     of his arrangements that were done by Bob Florence. A lot of
     musicians have made fun of his vibrato, but he had a beautiful sound
     and he played on every recording that Billy May did. He wasn't a
     real Jazz player, but he definitely was a great trombone player
     and a great musician.

Sy passed away on Jan. 31, 2000 in Las Vegas, NV, USA.

[ Bob Zurke Orch ]
Theme Song: "Hobson Street Blues" (Victor 26317 Rec. 1939)
B: Jan. 17, 1912, Detroit, MI, USA. D: Los Angeles, CA, USA. Feb. 16, 1944
Instrument: Piano
Here's a photo of Bob Zurke, and an even better picture, showing Zurke and a few fellow musicians. L-R: Bob Zurke, Bob Haggart, Eddie Miller, Ray Bauduc, Paul Whiteman and Bob Crosby. During the late 1920's and into the early '30's, Zurke had played with Oliver Naylor's Orchestra, at the Palais D'Or and the Orient Resteraunt, in Philadelphia, PA. In 1928, Bob worked with Thelma Terry and her Playboys, with Seymour Simon's Band, and regularly played at Smokey's Club in Detroit, MI.

In '28 - '31, Don Redman was transforming McKinney's Cotton Pickers from a novelty group into a real band. Redman used two, then unknown, detroit musicians - Glen Gray and Bob Zurke - to copy his often intricate manuscripts directly into swinging scores for the Cotton Pickers.

In January 1937, Zurke, the short, hard-driving; mustachioed; hard-drinking Detroiter, joined the Bob Crosby band when Joe Sullivan was hospitalized with Tuberculosis. "Gin Mill Blues" was Zurke's first recording with the Bobcats. Another of his great piano solos with the band was "Little Rock Getaway". This song was written by Joe Sullivan. Zurke remained with Crosby until April 1939, except for a temperory absence, in 1937, due to a broken leg sustained while playing around with Bob Haggart.

In the summer of 1939, Zurke left Crosby to organize his own band. By this time, due to his un-disciplined living habits, Bob already looked ten years older than he was. With average type arrangements, and a poor rhythm section, the band went nowhere. They broke up the following spring. Zurke went back to being a solo pianist. The band had Claire Martin, Evelyn Poe and Gus Ehrman as vocalists. On one or two of their recordings, one of the sidemen - Sterling Bose - also sang. Sterling had been with the Bob Crosby and Tommy Dorsey bands.

He suffered a very brief period in jail, due to alimony problems, and was released in August of 1940. Bob worked regularly in Chicago during late 1940 and into early 1941. March 1941 found him working in Detroit and May 1941 found him in St. Paul, MN., from whence he moved to Los Angeles, CA. He was in Detroit in March 1941, then on to St. Paul in May 1941, before moving to Los Angeles.

Bob was resident at The Hangover Club, in LA, from August 1942 until the time of his death. He collapsed in the club and was taken to the Los Angeles General Hospital where he died 24 hours later - 29 years old. A month before he died he had recorded the background piano music for the technicolor cartoon film, "Jungle Jive" - "a tour de force display of keyboard magic".

Bob was a great favorite of Jazz fans and other musicians alike, especially for his wonderful playing of Boogie Woogie style music. Jelly Roll Morton greatly admired Zurke's melodic style and his involved left hand work. It has been reported that Morton considered Zurke to be an exceptional Jazz stylist, -without peer. In 1939, Bob Zurke won Downbeat Magazine's Poll for best Piano player.

On his demise, Zurke was survived by his wife Hilda Zurke (who died in 1988) and his son Robert A. Zurke. On July 29, 1983, the City of Hamtramck, MI honored Bob with a memorial cruise at which his old boss, Bob Crosby - leader of the Bob Cats, was present.
The BigBands Database thanks Mr. Ray Zukowski, (Bob Zurke's nephew) for so kindly helping with these notes on his uncle.