Film Albums: From Russia with Love - Si Zentner and his Orchestra

"If there ever was a 'Si Zentner kind of music', this is it -- music of great intensity and drive, just right for Si's big band style". 

So reads the album notes of Si Zentner & his Orchestra's From Russia with Love album from 1964 and boy are they right! The handsome orchestra leader had a distinctly bold and brassy sound and these themes were tailor-made for his style. 

Si had a number of hits in the early 1960s with his versions of The Stripper, Up a Lazy River, and More but this album's songs suit his band's style best. There is the titular From Russia with Love Theme with its mournful trombone solo, the fantastic James Bond Theme, and The 007 Theme that sounds like it could have been a TV theme in itself. Other pieces include the film themes to Charade, The Third Man, and The Man with the Golden Arm. The remaining selections are popular action-detective TV themes -- the best being Burke's Law. 

Si Zentner made big band music the "in" thing years after big band was considered to be on the wane and his ensemble was voted "Best Big Band" for 13 straight years by Downbeat magazine. Be sure to check out his other albums in addition to this one. 

Listen to the full album here on YouTube.

Track List

Side One:

The James Bond Theme

Burke's Law Theme

Mr. Lucky

Dragnet

The Third Man Theme

Peter Gunn

Side Two: 

From Russia with Love

M Squad Theme

Charade

Bond's "007" Theme

The Man with the Golden Arm

The Fugitive Theme

Top Picks: From Russia with Love, The James Bond Theme, Burke's Law, and Charade.