Kostelanetz was known for arranging and recording light classical music pieces for mass audiences, as well as orchestral versions of songs and Broadway show tunes. He made numerous recordings over the course of his career, which had sales of over 50 million and became staples of Beautiful Music radio stations.[citation needed] For many years, Kostelanetz also conducted the New York Philharmonic in pops concerts and recordings, in which they were billed as "Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra".
Kostelanetz is best known to modern audiences for a series of easy listening instrumental albums on Columbia Records from the 1940s until 1980. Kostelanetz actually started making this music before there was a genre called "easy listening", and he continued until after some of his contemporaries, including Mantovani, had stopped recording.
Toward the end of his recording career, his name was more of a brand than a true representation of who actually made the music, because nearly all of his output in the 1970s was arranged by others.[citation needed] Some of the arrangers credited on 1970s Kostelanetz albums include Teo Macero, Torrie Zito, Hank Levy, Luther Henderson, Jack Cortner, Eddie Sauter, Claus Ogerman, Jack Pleis, Tommy Newsom, Harold Wheeler, Bobby Scott, Homer Dennison, James Tyler, Jr., Byron Olson, Dale Oehler, Ben Lanzarone, LaMont Johnson, Wade Marcus, Patrick Williams, Sammy Nestico, Warren Vincent, Dick Hyman, Jorge Calandrelli, James J. Wisner, Al Capps and Don Sebesky.
Kostelanetz's last concert was "A Night in Old Vienna" concert with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in the War Memorial Opera House on December 31, 1979.
Tiger Rag
Andre Kostelanetz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where's that tiger! Where's that tiger!
Hold that tiger! Hold that tiger ! Hold that tiger!
Choke him, poke him, kick him and soak him!
Where's that tiger? Where's that tiger?
Where oh where can he be?
Low or highbrow, they all cry now
"Please play that Tiger Rag for me"
Where's that tiger! Where's that tiger!
Where's that tiger! Where's that tiger!
Hold that tiger! Hold that tiger ! Hold that tiger!
Choke him, poke him, kick him and soak him!
Where's that tiger? Where's that tiger?
Where oh where can he be?
Low or highbrow, they all cry now
"Please play that Tiger Rag for me"
The lyrics to Andre Kostelanetz's song "Tiger Rag" speak of a fierce tiger that the listeners eagerly anticipate hearing. The repetition of "Where's that tiger?" and "Hold that tiger!" create a sense of urgency and excitement. The lines "Choke him, poke him, kick him and soak him!" add to the energy and enthusiasm of the song, encouraging the listener to participate in the experience. The final line of each verse, "Low or highbrow, they all cry now 'Please play that Tiger Rag for me'" emphasizes the universal appeal of this song, no matter one's background or social status.
Line by Line Meaning
Where's that tiger! Where's that tiger!
Where is the excitement, thrill or danger that we all crave?
Where's that tiger! Where's that tiger!
Where is the wild spirit that will shock and entertain us?
Hold that tiger! Hold that tiger ! Hold that tiger!
Capture that incredible feeling and don't let it go
Choke him, poke him, kick him and soak him!
Do whatever it takes to experience and control that wildness
Where's that tiger? Where's that tiger?
We still haven't found that wild, exciting element that we're looking for
Where oh where can he be?
Where is that thrilling aspect of life that will make us feel alive?
Low or highbrow, they all cry now
No matter their status, everyone yearns for this excitement
"Please play that Tiger Rag for me"
Entertain me with that wild, upbeat music that captures that sense of adventure
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Antonio Sbarro, Edwin Edwards, Henry Ragas, Larry Shields, Sidney Bechet
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Francisco José Araújo Costa
on Solitude
André Kostelanetz e sua música é uma raridade inesquecível no universo da música.