Frank Sinatra - Sinatra & Strings

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Music reviews of Sinatra & Strings

Music Review: Sinatra's best REPRISE era recording
Rating: 5 Stars

Recorded in November of 1961, "S&S" was the first and easily best work that arranger Don Costa ever did for Sinatra ( most of his later arrangements were of inferior material ). Excepting an overly "Hollywoodish" finale to Cole Porter's "Night and Day", Costa's arrangements are perfectly prepared canvasses for Sinatra's luminous and caressingly erotic singing, quasi-operatic yet intimate in approach. In a way, "S&S" is a kind of update of Sinatra's early Columbia sides with Axel Storhahl, his gains in maturity and wisdom ( in life as much as music ) fusing with Columbia style romantic longing. In this way, "S&S" is quite a contrast with both the desperation driven saloon singing of his earlier Capitol era landmarks and the full-blown "theatrical" performances of "THE CONCERT SINATRA" ( 1963 ).

This album contains one immaculate performance after the other but if I had to choose just one "stopper" to demonstrate its brilliance it would be the classic rendition of the Mercer/Arlen standard "Come Rain or Come Shine". This performance starts out as a string heavy ballad and ends as a slow tempo fingersnapper with the bluesy accompaniment of Harry "Sweet" Edison's muted trumpet. Incredible.

Finally, the recording quality of "S&S" is perhaps the finest of all his Reprise recordings, the 20-BIT remastered recording providing excellent sound ( most of the Reprise era recordings have been well served by the 20 BIT process ). Potential buyers should note that the earlier CD release contained two extra songs (outtakes from the same sessions ), both of which are interesting but not quite on the level of the others.

Description of Sinatra & Strings

Broadway & Vocalists CDs

• Music > Styles
• Jazz
• Pop