Frank, Tony & the Maestro
CALPHIL celebrates Ol’ Blue Eyes’ legacy at Festival on the green
By Bliss 08/05/2010
With so many pop careers now measured not in years but news cycles, it’s instructive to contemplate the lasting influence of Frank Sinatra’s six-decade-plus career. From his breakthrough performances with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey big bands in the 1940s through his chart-topping solo years with Columbia and Capitol Records in the 1950s, and duets albums in the 1990s, he dominated pop culture like few other individual artists ever have. (Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, Madonna … maybe Bruce Springsteen … who else?) Along the way he dominated the Vegas strip, led his widely imitated Rat Pack and stockpiled an Oscar, Grammys, Golden Globes, a Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.
Not bad for a high school dropout. But as impressive as his awards are, it’s ultimately Sinatra’s style, onstage and off, that sustains his legend — that, and his commitment to good songwriters and well-crafted melodies. He was a masterful interpreter who could dig into lyrics to such a relatable degree that mid-’50s collaborations with conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle like “In the Wee Small Hours” and “Only the Lonely” remain classic late-night consolations for the lovelorn. Sartorially, he made the fedora an enduring symbol of cool taste, and forged a no-sweat image still emulated by wannabe moguls and lounge lizards.
“American Idol” tried to cash in on the Sinatra mystique this spring with an episode devoted to songs from his vast repertoire. Concord is reissuing his mid-’60s ballad collection “September of My Years,” on the heels of repackaged sets of his collaborations with bossa nova king Antonio Carlos Jobim. On Broadway, Twyla Tharp’s soon-to-close “Come Fly Away” revue revolves around a clutch of Sinatra standards. Closer to home, each Wednesday at Villa Sorriso in Old Pasadena, Max Vontaine delivers Sinatra’s mannerisms and conversational phrasing with eerie nonchalance.
This Saturday, California Philharmonic continues its tradition of blending cinematic and popular music into its classical repertoire with “Frank, Tony & the Maestro,” a concert celebrating standards popularized by Sinatra and his pal and stylistic protégé Tony Bennett. (There will also be performances of Saint-Saens’ “Rondo Capriccioso,” Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade” and Elgar’s “Enigma Variations.”) The program will include pop favorites like “Fly Me to the Moon” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing” — snappy choices from Sinatra’s heyday that capture the seemingly carefree savoir faire integral to his iconic image. In unsettled times, maybe it’s that cheeky confidence that still appeals.
California Philharmonic concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia; $20-$98. The same concert will also be performed at 2 p.m. Sunday at Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown LA. For tickets and information, call (626) 300-8200. calphil.org.
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