jazzbo Posted December 24, 2005 Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 Glad to see that this one is being appreciated! I would just like to amplify a little on Kalo's comment - I can hear why Sangrey flipped his lid for this. It's the ne plus ultra of lounge music. These guys could really "put it over." Well, yeah. But for younger folk who have never really seen/heard "lounge music" as anything other than an irony-laden presentation of faux-cool (aka "martini culture"), that might not tell the whole story. The Treniers were from a time when good old-fashioned professionalism was the order of the day. Yeah, you could goof and be slick and all that, but it was all rooted in skill, in chops, in knowing everything that you needed to know, and then some. The "show" wasn't just a wink, it was a job. And you damn well took your job seriously. These guys were all that. Anybody who could take a hoary old tune like "Margie" and nail it, just flat out nail it with that perfect tempo and perfect Lunceford-esque execution that turns it into a genuine groovefest, has got to be more than a group of "lounge lizards". These muthafukkas were pros, and pros of the highest order! Terms like "show business" & "entertainment" get a bum rap in today's too hip to be cool world, and that's wrong, I think. What could possibly be wrong with presenting an evening of music and patter that exemplifies and delivers quality, skill, and good times? Sure, there's envelopes to be pushed, boundaries to be broken, and dragons to be slain. Of course there are, and those things need to be pursued with rigor, vigor, and a refusal to compromise. But even Crusaders need to kick back and get loose, dig? "Entertainment" is a good thing, a damn good thing, if what you're being entertained with and by is something that has at its roots the same integrity as that which you are trying to further. And The Treniers had nothing if not the integrity of skill and professionalism in the pursuit of excellence. God bless'em. I totally understand what you are coming from. . . . To an extent this was what reminded me of Gaillard in a way though they're less zany, they go into that territory with the conviction and the total professionalism to pull it off in a way that he did. (And some of the very rhythmic swing and sound of the vocals makes me think of him as well). There's a sort of deep stagecraft for this type of material that is not come by easily and SHOWS. This show really shows it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted December 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 I'm reminded of an appearance by Sammy Davis, Jr. on the Letterman show from the late 1980s. Sammy Davis, Jr., the man who had by then gone waaaaaaaay past self-chariacture, sang "I Can't Get Started" with the house band. And he sang it splendidly, nailing the bebop-era chromatic ii-Vs in the A-section that have become de regeur for jazzers, but are liable to throw "show biz" types for a loop. He didn't do anything extravagant or flashy, he just sang the song. It dawned on me then that Sammy Davis, Jr., no matter how jive he had become over the decades, was at root a freakin' talented man. And just as importantly, he worked his ass off. After finding out his history, having been immersed in high level show business pretty much all his life, I realized that, yeah, this cat was a pro. NEver mind how ridiculous a "persona" he presented all those years, the cat had some serious chops. And that's something I got to respect, just because. Now, the Treniers were/are nowhere near as big a sellout as SDJ became. But they come from the same roots, the same traditions, and they worked with the same driving esthetic - that when you hit the stage, there's no time for bullshit or half-steppin'. Fun, yes. Goofing, certainly. But never, ever, do you slack off or do anything unless you do it all the way, and and all the way right. Such an attitude may well be obsolete in this day and time. After all, a lot of things have been exposed about our world since then, and perhaps there's no longer a need for confronting bullshit by entertaining it with a perfection that ultimately mocks the lameness of it all. But I'm old enough to remember when such a position was a point of pride, and I'm not so sure that we don't turn our backs on it w/o losing a critical weapon in the fight. But that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold_Z Posted December 24, 2005 Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 (edited) Agreed about Sammy. I think a lot of people from my generation and later remember seeing Sammy in Jive mode on The Tonight Show and were turned off. I know I was - for a while, but his talent overcame all that. There is a live Rat Pack disc on some budget label. It's Sammy, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin doing a gig at some venue in Chicago in 1962. Again..consumate professionals doing what they do. Dean surprised me by how good he sounded on this. Edited December 24, 2005 by Harold_Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montg Posted December 24, 2005 Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 Don't know if this has already been posted, but here's the homepage for Milt Trenier. He appears to still be gigging in the Chicago area. milt trenier Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalo Posted December 25, 2005 Report Share Posted December 25, 2005 I agree 100% with what Sangrey wrote above. That's exactly what I meant when I used the term "lounge music." The Treniers are/were the real deal, boasting talent out the wazoo, and not to be confused in any way with the snarky, condescending, no-talent "lounge music" revivalists, who I find incredibly lame. For the Treniers, rockin' was their business, and nothing boho-poseur or corporate about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted December 27, 2005 Report Share Posted December 27, 2005 After their short-lived sojourn at Tony's Fish Market, they became longtime denizens of various Vegas lounges. As far as I know, the last living remnants of The Treniers are still inhabiting Vegas. That's quite a thought! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kq1OeibpuUw...feature=related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceH Posted March 22, 2008 Report Share Posted March 22, 2008 and the immortal "Poontang." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 I haven't heard this CD, but the vibe I'm getting from the discussion is...yeah, entertainment...what a concept. The lack of ENTERTAINMENT has killed live music. Quite being so goddamn SERIOUS and ENTERTAIN somebody!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 23, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 On the one hand, if "serious" and "entertaining" are no longer capable of co-exisiting, then that's very possibly the audience's problem. I mean, if we subscribe to the American Public Keeps Getting More And More Illiterate Theory (and not just in music...) then whose fault is it if any/everything over the Very Lowest Common Denominator goes over people's heads? On the other hand, yeah, there's no harm in projecting something besides aloofness & detachment from the bandstand, nor is there any harm in welcoming an audience's "engagement" in your music. I do know too many players who automatically assume that the audience is too stupid to care, project that attitude from the bandstand, and then get their feelings hurt when it all comes to pass. DUH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted March 23, 2008 Report Share Posted March 23, 2008 (edited) People always point to Miles when this topic comes up. I always read this as being Miles way of entertaining. Hell, what would be more entertaining and engaging than watching Miles prowl the side of the stage...turn his back on you and blow....serious as a heart attack. That's pretty damn entertaining too...Miles was no dummy. There's lots of ways to engage the audience and that's what I'm talking about. Taking the Miles Model without BEING Miles...too much of that in jazz. Maybe that's where jazzers dump on a guy like Lou Donaldson...he's actually trying to be an entertainer and musician. Whether it's the Treniers or Coltrane (Oh yeah, believe it folks), they're both entertaining us in their own way. I've seen (and been) on lots of bandstands where there was just Zero going on with the audience because of the "jazz" attitude. You don't have to shuck and jive and do backflips, but you at least have to have a rapport with the folks in front of you on some level. Knowing how to play your instrument ain't enough unless you're just a sideman. Edited March 23, 2008 by Soul Stream Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind-blake Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 Don't know if you guys are aware of this or not, the the Hoss Allen Sessions are now available on emusic. I downloaded it yesterday, and Sangrey is spot on. Just great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 Still cool as ever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX4R8xvJazE&index=108&list=PLU1rqYa1p7zEv4XwBhnpbjqYa2XJQ6v-4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 Don't know if you guys are aware of this or not, the the Hoss Allen Sessions are now available on emusic. I downloaded it yesterday, and Sangrey is spot on. Just great! Never saw this thread before and am feeling like getting some more Treniers. Are there sleeve notes with the download? MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted October 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 New & used hard copies available from Amazon sellers at reasonable prices: http://www.amazon.com/Hoss-Allen-Sessions-Fabulous-Treniers/dp/B0007NFM4E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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