Bobby Rosengarden and Glenn Zottola Orchestra

This is promotional clip I made when i started the partnership with my friend and great drummer Bobby Rosengarden. In 1982 i came off the road in Europe and my daughter was 2 1/2 and I decided i wanted to spend more time at home. I moved the family from Manhatten to Darien CT. and started Glenn Zottola Music Productions out of my home. I had met Bobby Rosengarden on the Benny Goodman Sextet earlier and he lived in New Canaan very close to me. Bobby is a great drummer and had his band at the world famous Rainbow Room in NYC. One day he asked me which was very gracious would you like to cover me at the Rainbow Room with Johnny Desmond as I am going to Europe. I told him sure but I don’t have any arrangements, bandstands and have never led a big band. He said you can use all my stuff and i know you will do great. We opened to rave reviews and i ended up rotating my big band along with Bobby’s and other band leaders like Cy Oliver for 2 years. Later i asked Bobby if he would like to become partners and he said sure. Bobby was another “foil” and mentor both musically and business wise and i learned a lot about leading a big band as he was was a master having been the band leader on the Dick Cavet Show and he had lots of funny stories. When i met him he was doing about 35 dates a year with his big band and i was doing about 25 with my small group. In a few years after we became partners i built the business up to over 300 dates a year before i left for LA to be bandleader on the Suzanne Somers TV show at universal studios. Those were great times and very productive with 18 hour days ! I had the band at the Rainbow Room 6 nights a week and was entertainment director at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stamford CT and the Hyatt Regency in Greenich CT along with doing over 300 gigs including private parties, high end weddings and corporate work plus all my jazz activity and recording in NY. I would finish my last set at the Rainbow Room in Manhatten and rush out to CT to catch the last set of the groups i booked into the Hotels. I never forget the feeling as I was driving up the highway from Manhatten and crossed over into New England only a 40 minute drive late at night but a whole different Vibe. Those were really good times and a great 9 year run !

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