Senior Spotlight: Bob Centano

A rueful look spreads across Bob Centanos face as he talks about the state of the arts from his point of view.

Its not like it used to be for musicians, says Centano, 67, a veteran saxophone player who has been in the big band and jazz arena in Chicago for over 50 years. It used to be that musicians were in as much demand in this city as the plumbers and electricians. Now, people say they do not need musicians because they can just turn on the radio. And when the schools are short on money, the first things they cut are art and music.

Instead of sulking, though, Centano chooses to expend his own energy reversing this trend. Most days, Centano stays busy trying to remind people all over the city that live music is enriching and enjoyable for everyone. His venue? Parish halls at Catholic churches.

Arts in the Parishes, as he calls his new venture, was conceived as a way to infuse life and culture into the spaces at local parishes whose use is often limited to Brownie Girl Scout meetings and doughnuts after Sunday Mass.

Centano uses his connections to book local musicians and retired professional musicians to play music in the parishes, typically on Sunday afternoons, in styles ranging from jazz to opera.

Churchgoers of all ages flock to listen, dance and have a good time. For example, last year, several hundred people filled the church hall at Saint Bartholomew, where Centano is a member.

The Mike Martinez Salsa band was a hit at Our Lady of Pompeii, and Centano accompanied the band when vocalist Crystal Miller was featured at St. Gertrude.

Our Lady of Pompeii is a special connection for Centano. It is near his old stomping grounds, because he grew up near Taylor Street and attended Harrison High School.

My epithet will say, THIS MAN DID NOT DIE FROM BOREDOM because I always do so many different things, says Centano. I am picking up a few women friends this afternoon and we are going to an antique auction. But really the Arts in the Parishes thing is my greatest focus right now.

A friend recently set up a web site for the project, called www.bobcentano.net. The site shows visitors how they can book live concerts for their parish. One of his signature features is that he is willing to tailor the musical performance to the preferences of the parishes? members.

Centano is trusted in the community because of his long-standing success in music and his commitment to the Chicago community. He won the Del Signo award from the Chicago Federation of Musicians, because of his reputation for making great jazz for decades. He also won the Louis Armstrong Award from the Chicago Park District.

Centano got his start playing saxophone when he was nine years old; he advanced quickly and was playing professionally at the age of fourteen.

Then, when he was 18, he assembled his first jazz group, which was called The Bob Centano Orchestra.

One of their recordings, called First Time Out, became a cult classic and pops up frequently on the internet. He has made numerous recordings accompanying such greats as Al Martino and Jerry Vale.

I have played in so many great orchestras such as those that featured Tex Beneke, Les and Larry Elgart, Ralph Flanagan, Ralph Martire and Claude Thornhill, and many great jazz bands with my longtime friend, Bob Ojeda, says Centano.

The Bob Centano Orchestra released records on the Evanston-based Stepheny label, which produced many jazz and R&B records. Centano recalls that despite distinct residential segregation in Chicago, there was no taboo that forbade a white player from sitting in with a primarily African American or Latino band.

The orchestra has taken many forms and been comprised of many members, yet it lives on today, playing at such varied venues as Green Dolphin Street and supper clubs in the suburbs.

Being a man of many talents, Centano did not stay entirely true to his career as a musician. There was a time in my life when I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, recalls Centano. So I got a job working as a clerk in federal court. I got to see the workings of many trials, including the famous Chicago Seven trial of seven radicals charged with federal crimes in connection with rioting at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Centano keeps much of his private life private, but stresses that he loves to entertain. His home is welcoming to all; he throws a notoriously successful Christmas party in his basement, which happens to be appointed with rows of movie theater seats from a nearby cineplex, a projection television, a drum kit and a display board with photos of Centano with famous figures like Harry Caray, Frank Sinatra and his own closest friends.

Centano also enjoys painting, with many large paintings done in oil hanging throughout his home. An example is the painting of himself playing in the orchestra. His paintings have also hung on the walls of art exhibitions and installations at public buildings and theaters in Chicago.

There is a painstakingly-carved grand piano in the front room, which he calls his prized possession. The piano is pristine despite sharing the home with Bear, Centanos Great Pyrenees dog, who resembles a St. Bernard in both stature and bellowing woof.

Centanos surroundings are a testament to his success as well as his contentedness with his life and the town where he made it all happen. There is not a slice of snowbird anywhere in Centanos personality. I have traveled to all the major cities stateside, and I am happy to say, it is always good to come back to Chicago. It is called the second city, but it is always first in my heart, says Centano.