Frank Sinatra - The Concert Sinatra CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

The Concert Sinatra is a misleading title as it is not a live concert performance at all. What it is, however, is the sound of Frank Sinatra, Nelson Riddle and a large orchestra pushing the boundaries of recording technology for 1963. The album was recorded using 35mm magnetic film on a motion picture scoring stage. As stereo was in its infancy, multiple recorders were synchronized to take advantage of the full stereo spectrum. The master recording “Magnestripes” have not been used in any subsequent releases of The Concert Sinatra – until now.

Recently discovered by producer Charles Pignone sitting unused in film cans, the original masters are a revelation. More of Nelson Riddle’s fantastic arrangements are present and Sinatra’s voice is warm and upfront in the mix - But what of the music?

read the rest of the review at www.blindedbysound.com by clicking here.

Frank Sinatra - Ring-A-Ding Ding! CD Review

Written by General Jabbo

Sinatra's first album for the label needed to reflect this positive period in his life. It needed to swing. This presented a problem as his frequent arranger, Nelson Riddle, was contractually obligated to Capitol until 1963. Similarly, Sinatra favorite Billy May was also signed long-term. Capitol was not thrilled about Sinatra leaving — they did, after all, provide him a home when his career was stalling in the early 1950s — and they were not about to let their prize arrangers work for Sinatra’s label anytime soon. Luckily for Sinatra, Johnny Mandel — a jazz composer who Sinatra was a fan of — was available and he helped Sinatra bring his vision to life with Ring-A-Ding Ding!, a hard-swinging album and one of Sinatra’s favorite catch phrases of the day.

Read the rest of the review at www.blindedbysound.com by clicking here.