Sinatra’s Best still sounds fresh
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Frank Sinatra
NOTHING BUT THE BEST
Even decades before the start of the 21st century, Frank Sinatra easily ranked among the greatest show business figures of the 20th century. His music statistics include 31 gold records, nine million-selling albums and 10 Grammy awards. His acting earned three Oscars. His 1965 TV special won an Emmy. Sinatra’s numerous other honors include the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And, as of this week, the U.S. Postal Service put a classic image of Sinatra on a first-class stamp.
The stamp as well as new collections of Sinatra DVDs, a month of Sinatra programming by Turner Classic Movies and a new CD, Nothing But The Best, are timed to May 14, the 10th anniversary of the singer’s death.
The latest Sinatra hits collection contains 22 recordings from his Reprise catalog. After recording for Columbia and Capitol during the 1940s and ’50s, Sinatra founded Reprise in 1960. Like so many things he touched, the label was a success, via his recordings, hits by his Rat Pack pal, Dean Martin, his daughter, Nancy, and many others.
Calling the shots for his Reprise sessions, Sinatra surrounded himself with top arrangers, conductors and players. Of course, he picked great songs, too. Despite the dominance of youth culture in the ’60s, the middle-aged, former teen idol didn’t simply make hits. Sinatra recorded songs that became as much classics as anything he’d done in the previous two decades.
Remastered from the original master tapes, Nothing But The Best sounds vibrant and immediate. Count Basie and his orchestra, for instance, brilliantly perform Quincy Jones’ inventive arrangement of “Fly Me To The Moon.” Sinatra swings in easy, confident command through “Come Fly With Me” and, another Basie-Jones collaboration, “The Best Is Yet To Come.” As cocky as he is in the latter songs, he shows great tenderness and vulnerability in “Bewitched” and “The Girl From Ipanema.”
Nothing But The Best presents the big mid-’60s hits, including the elegant “Strangers In The Night” and sassy, soul-tinged “That’s Life.” And “It Was A Very Good Year,” a haunting tale of a life well lived featuring Gordon Jenkins’ beautiful orchestration, is a highlight among highlights. The collection’s only misstep is a previously unreleased rendition of “Body and Soul” recorded late in Sinatra’s career. There are so many great performances here, though, that the post-prime “Body and Soul” takes nothing away from the singer’s enduring stature.
NOTHING BUT THE BEST
Even decades before the start of the 21st century, Frank Sinatra easily ranked among the greatest show business figures of the 20th century. His music statistics include 31 gold records, nine million-selling albums and 10 Grammy awards. His acting earned three Oscars. His 1965 TV special won an Emmy. Sinatra’s numerous other honors include the Congressional Gold Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. And, as of this week, the U.S. Postal Service put a classic image of Sinatra on a first-class stamp.
The stamp as well as new collections of Sinatra DVDs, a month of Sinatra programming by Turner Classic Movies and a new CD, Nothing But The Best, are timed to May 14, the 10th anniversary of the singer’s death.
The latest Sinatra hits collection contains 22 recordings from his Reprise catalog. After recording for Columbia and Capitol during the 1940s and ’50s, Sinatra founded Reprise in 1960. Like so many things he touched, the label was a success, via his recordings, hits by his Rat Pack pal, Dean Martin, his daughter, Nancy, and many others.
Calling the shots for his Reprise sessions, Sinatra surrounded himself with top arrangers, conductors and players. Of course, he picked great songs, too. Despite the dominance of youth culture in the ’60s, the middle-aged, former teen idol didn’t simply make hits. Sinatra recorded songs that became as much classics as anything he’d done in the previous two decades.
Remastered from the original master tapes, Nothing But The Best sounds vibrant and immediate. Count Basie and his orchestra, for instance, brilliantly perform Quincy Jones’ inventive arrangement of “Fly Me To The Moon.” Sinatra swings in easy, confident command through “Come Fly With Me” and, another Basie-Jones collaboration, “The Best Is Yet To Come.” As cocky as he is in the latter songs, he shows great tenderness and vulnerability in “Bewitched” and “The Girl From Ipanema.”
Nothing But The Best presents the big mid-’60s hits, including the elegant “Strangers In The Night” and sassy, soul-tinged “That’s Life.” And “It Was A Very Good Year,” a haunting tale of a life well lived featuring Gordon Jenkins’ beautiful orchestration, is a highlight among highlights. The collection’s only misstep is a previously unreleased rendition of “Body and Soul” recorded late in Sinatra’s career. There are so many great performances here, though, that the post-prime “Body and Soul” takes nothing away from the singer’s enduring stature.
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