| [ Frank Sinatra: my man and my music ] |
© Ernest Ruiz. 2003
The article you're beginning to read is a revised version of a brief one I wrote a year ago for the Simple Hi-Fi mailing group. I have always refused to write and article as the one you are reading, about my musical tastes, because I consider them a personal question. I don't like to talk about them because I think that they are something mine and because maybe they doesn't have any interest for the rest of the audiophiles. But finally, I have decided to write this because in the last months I have been receiving many email messages with questions about Sinatra, mainly focused in his records and which to buy. It seems that there's a growing interest about Sinatra's music (it has never dissapeared) and to discover his wonderful works. For the general public the most known records by Sinatra are those that include classics such as New York, New York, My way, Strangers in the night, etc, mainly from the 70s, while his best works recorded between 1953 and 1963 are less known. Is in the records from this period of time where we can find the greatest gems of Sinatra's discography and with this article I want to get them closer to you. As I said before this is a very personal article, with only personal opinions (but shared by many Sinatra's fans) and so I ask you to take my words with the distance requiered.
My passion for Frank Sinatra began in 1989 when I purchased my first CD player. My mother was upset with my purchase so, knowing that he liked Sinatra, I decided to buy the "New York, New York" record to make her happy. That was the beginning of what now is a real passion for Sinatra's work.
Maybe many of you have in mind an image of the singer as a frivolous man. I'm not going to talk about the personal life of Sinatra (although I think that it gives a special character to his music). I will only talk about his music works that are really serious.
Let's begin with a little biography about him. Sinatra began singing with the Hoboken Four, a group formed in his bithplace in New Jersey, where Sinatra was born in 1915. In 1935 the group won the Major Bowes radio show contest and after working as singing waiter in the Rustic Cabin in Englewood, he was hired in 1939 by Harry James who was organizing his orchesta after leaving Benny Goodman. In 1940 Sinatra accepted an offer from Tommy Dorsey and signed with the trombonist and his orchestra where he stayed until 1942 when he signed with Columbia Records. During the years he worked with Dorsey, Sinatra learnt how to sing imitating the phrasing of Dorsey's trombone. At Columbia Sinatra spent 10 years and while he was there his fame began to grow. During this period he became an idol for the youngs ladies of the 40s and 50s, the "baby sockers". His fame was so big that began to eclipse Bing Crosby as the number one crooner. Sinatra gave to the songs he sang a more swinging style, with the described phrasing and the public wanted this. At the end of his time with Columbia the relation between Sinatra and the musical director of the company, Mitch Milles, began to be more conflictive. Sinatra didn't like the songs that the company offered to him. He wanted to change his style and due to these problems he left the company in 1952. In 1953 Sinatra signed with Capitol Records and that was the best thing he could do for him and for us that now are enjoying with the records he recordered with this company.
The change to Capitol was great. Sinatra, a perfectionist, worked with the best arrangers and musicians and recorded some of his best works. In those days the 12" records were introduced and that allowed the singer to create conceptual works still considered today as references. As you can see the change to Capitol represents an inflection point in Sinatras's career. Among all this factors maybe one of the most important were the arrangers who worked with Sinatra. Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Gordon Jenkins were the most importants, but Riddle has to be considered as the most influential. His swing is absolutely great and working with him Sinatra offers to us his best works. Let's see in detail Sinatra's best records with Capitol.
During these years Sinatra recorded great records that can be considered the best he ever did. As all Sinatra's fans know the best record with Capitol is Songs for Swingin' Lovers! from 1955. Every single song in this record is exceptional. But, in fact, all the records from these years are great. I would recommend to choose records arranged by Riddle, but also consider in the same league those arranged by May or Jenkins. The Capitol years are always great for true fans. Now I'm giving to you a short list of my favourite records that Sinatra made for Capitol Records:
As you can see there are many things where to choose. But there are also other things by Sinatra that are interesting. After leaving Capitol Records, Sinatra signed with Reprise Records. With Reprise, Sinatra recorded many excellent records, although less than with Capitol. At Reprise, Sinatra also worked with very good arrangers, like Claus Ogerman (who arranged the record by Sinatra and Jobim has arranged the last record by Diana Krall), but, in my opinion, he also failed trying to change so much his style with arrangement by Don Costa (I don't like these ones). Some of my favorites recordings from this period are:
With Reprise Records, Sinatra stayed until 1981 and recordered many records not so good as the ones he recordered before. His last "real" recording is L.A. is my Lady in 1984 with Qwest Records, with Quincy Jones acting as arranger (as you remenber they worked together in Sinatra at the Sands) and as always with the collaboration of a group of great musicians. During all these years there have been many other records by Sinatra (the Sinatra family knows how the record bussines works). Many of them are only compilations (a very good example is a triple called Sinatra. The Capitol Years) and also some special editions under Artanis label (Sinatra upside down) as The Rat Pack live in the Sands with Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin (more funny than with quality) and Sinatra 57 a live recording from 1957 with Sinatra in full shape singing his classics. There are many other materials from Sinatra available for the fans such as videos and DVDs, specially those from the A man and his music series.
Among all the Sinatra's records from his last years there're two that deserve a special comment. They are the two Duets records. They deserve a comment because they're, in my opinion, very bad. Sinatra wasn't in good shape when he recordered these two sets. If we listen to the records made during the 50s or 60s and we listen to these two we will see a huge difference, in favour of the old recordings. Some of the duets are terrible (the one with Bono is an example of that). My recommendation is to avoid both records.
If someone wants to buy some of the records I have talk about in this article and has some problems while trying to find it at the record shop, use Amazon where you'll find everything, even the 20 bit reeditions that were made some years ago of some of the Capitol classics. If you want to buy the vinyl editions of them, new and used, or even the EMI anniversary reeditions try it at Audiophile USA.
As you can see I love Sinatra. He, as many few others, has got the essence of american popular music. As Ella Fitzgerald used to say, when Sinatra sings a song noboby can sing that song again because the imprint left by the man from Hoboken is unforgettable. When I listen to some of Sinatra's records I realize that this is totally true. Maybe many of you know more of Sinatra's live (his days at Las Vegas with the Rat Pack, etc) than of his music. Also, some of you know his most popular songs like Strangers in the night, New York, My Way, etc. But this is only a very small part of his work. If we look closer, if we look in depth, we will see that Sinatra is the best crooner we have had. If this article helps you to know his great work I will be happy.