Frank Sinatra Conducts

Full album:

Frank Sinatra Conducts Music from Pictures and Plays (Reprise R9-6045)



Track cue times and YouTube intra-video links:

1. 00:00 All the Way
2. 02:44 An Affair to Remember
3. 06:02 Laura
4. 09:34 Tammy
5. 12:02 Moon River
6. 15:00 Exodus
7. 17:48 Little Girl Blue
8. 21:56 Maria
9. 25:13 Something Wonderful
10. 29:17 I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face
11. 32:36 The Girl That I Marry
12. 35:00 If Ever I Would Leave You

Arrangements by Harry Sukman; conducted by Frank Sinatra
Recorded June 20, 1962, at United Recording in Hollywood, for Reprise Records

 

I've owned all of the Sinatra conducting albums at one time. I've never found anything distinctively Sinatra about

I've owned all of the Sinatra conducting albums at one time. Other than their value as collectibles for Sinatra collectors, I've never found anything distinctively 'Sinatra' about them. It would be interesting to read what appeal they hold for you.

 

That 'Syms' album is one of the biggest disappointments of my music listening experience. I had never heard of her before I came across the Lp as a Sinatra side-project. IIRC, FS once named her as his favourite female singer (or favourite saloon singer or favourite female, saloon singer - or something to that effect). This album was recorded towards the end of her career and I'm assuming her voice had deteriorated with age.

 

You are quoting a two-year-old post. I started this thread to answer someone's question about Frank Sinatra's conducting and his interest in classical music. You may not find anything “distinctively 'Sinatra'” about that, but I think the subject goes to the heart of Frank's musical interests and vocal interpretations.

Case in point: The tenor sax solos in "Maria" above are just gorgeous. (By Ted Nash?) Makes me wish FS had recorded the vocal. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but the Reprise album appeals to me.

 

His 'Frank Sinatra Conducts ...' albums may indeed reveal and demonstrate the expanse of his musical interests, and may show a greater depth to his musical appreciation that some were not aware. However, my point was that I didn't find the 'performance' of the conducting itself to be distinctively 'Sinatra', as is his singing. I can't remember any particular track where I thought, "Oh yes, I can imagine Sinatra's vocals where that instrumentation is" or that "This sounds just like that Sinatra style". Whereas on his vocal albums he was very much in charge of the direction and production of the records, I don't get that sense with these albums, even though he was. If I had heard heard them in a 'blind test' I wouldn't have known he was involved.

 

If only he had only conducted "Watertown".

 

Now, now, you promised...

 

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Picked this up for a few $ at a flea on Sunday. Interesting recording. I guess Turner had his day in the sun with Mr. S's un-retirement. Nancy speaks fondly of him over on her site. There is what looks to be an outrageous monied CD boot on the bay teamed up with an Irv Cottler (?) album. Cottler handles the sticks on Turner's disc. Lee Hershberg was in also the room, so I guess the conductor had some skin in the production. Recorded at Evergreen in N. Hollywood/Burbank area though Turner was based out of Las Vegas where he was "discovered" I guess.

 

That is a SUPERB big band album!!!! Really the "missing link" for many FS aficionados. It has great sound as well.

Sad story behind Charlie and the album and his demise....

 

Tell us the story, Paul.

 

Not Paul, but the story is told in an email letter which Charlie Turner sent to Nancy Sinatra. She has posted it in a registered-members-only area of the SFF. For those with access: Frank Sinatra Family Forum .

I don't feel right reproducing the entire post, but Turner was devastated that pirated bootleg copies of his album were being sold on CD. One heartbreaking paragraph:

 

Thanks, @Bob F I was not comfy in telling the story. I used to share emails with Charlie before the music ended. He died a very sad and broken man. And Charlie was right, Mr. S indeed did care for him. Playing that LP is always very bittersweet for me. But when I play it I marvel at the talents he possessed.

 

I also own this LP. It IS wonderful... terrific playing by Turner.

 

And for completists,Reprise made a freebie(with purchase?) EP,touting their Dual 35mm forays,which includes Exodus from this LP. Available pretty cheap,though finding it in the wild may be difficult. It also includes an Esquivel track.

 

Bought "Syms by Sinatra". Needed two days to get through it. Uurrgh...
Wish it would have been "Gormé by Sinatra". Well, at least the cover is nice.

 

"Tone poems of colour" is simply one of the most beautiful albums made by anyone anywhere. For years and years I tried to find anything similar to it. With no luck! The whole album is a completely unique undertaking. The whole idea of having small classical pieces written and assemble them to an album is brilliant. And the composers have all outdone themselves and did a great job. Some of the most beautiful music ever written!
It's like listening to a great film soundtrack and yet, with a film soundtrack you mostly have bits and pieces, and maybe one or two themes that appear over and over again.
Here you have 12 pieces that are all concluded and completed in themselves. Very unlike to a movie soundtrack.
And when it comes to classical music, there are mostly complete symphonies, string quartetts, operas etc.

So this musical approach and setting is quite unique. If anyone knows of something similar please let me know! I will jump on it!

The only album that has a similar approach is Artie Shaw's excellent and just as beautiful "Modern Music for Clarinet" where he plays compositions by Morton Gould, Debussy, Ravel and other classical composers.

To make a long story short, I wish Sinatra would have made more albums like this one. I would have treasured them the same way that I treasure his vocal albums.

 

Sinatra the conductor is an area I've overlooked and would like to catch up on, but ...

Only a few of these LPs have had a CD release, evidently.

Thanks for starting this thread, Bob F.

 

Reposted from Listening to on Vinyl (Part 323) …

Release date in the U.S. was September 3, 1956. There was also a 1956 release in Australia. Year of release for the U.S. vinyl repress on colorband label was 1962. There was no Duophonic issue. Catalog no. was Capitol W-735 on all issues except the EMI U.K. (LCT 6111).

The first CD (assumed Larry Walsh mastering) was issued in 1992; it was available only in the Concepts box set (black wooden “bread box” with jewel cases on slide-out tray). Surplus copies were commonplace on eBay at one time, but no longer. The current 2002 “Entertainer of the Century” series CD (Bob Norberg 24-bit mastering in 1999) was first issued in the 2000 Concepts box set (black cardboard box with discs in cardboard sleeve booklets). The U.K. Hallmark CD was an unauthorized carpetbag job.

The 1999 digital mastering (Norberg) is currently available for download or streaming, e.g. …

‎Tone Poems of Color by Frank Sinatra on iTunes
Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems Of Color on Amazon Music - Amazon.com
Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems Of Color on Spotify
Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color - YouTube

 

From @Artur Torres in another thread:
Frank Sinatra / Capitol Sound Quality and General Discussion: Conducts Tone Poems of Color (1956)

 

GREAT PHOTO! Both future husbands of Mia Farrow!!!!!!