THE LAST YEARS OF FRANK SINATRAby Mahnuel Munoz CHAPTER 7 Frank had recorded duets with other singers throughout his career, from his days with Tommy Dorsey’s band through the 1980s. The idea of creating an entire album of Sinatra paired…
Mitch Miller was born in Rochester, New York, on July 4, 1911. He took piano lessons but soon switched to the oboe. After graduating in music, he began his career working for the CBS Symphony Orchestra. After recording with conductors…
“The meaning of existence, oh, my love…” By Mahnuel Muñoz In 1999 I took my first steps as a Sinatra fan. After acquiring some bargain CDs with Columbia recordings and the usual “Greatest Hits”, I needed to explore deeper, and…
When Randy met Frankie By Mahnuel Muñoz Speaking to “Uncut” magazine in 2019, singer-songwriter Randy Newman (1943) recalled that he once had the opportunity to work with Frank Sinatra. Supposedly, the timeless, laid-back qualities of Newman’s music could endear him…
“I’LL NEVER SMILE AGAIN”Frank Sinatra’s first number 1 and the origins of the charts. By Mahnuel Muñoz HISTORIC CONTEXT In 1940 in the United States he danced and hugged to the sounds of the orchestras of Glenn Miller and Artie…
LEO ROBIN By Mahnuel Muñoz Leo Robin was born on April 6, 1900 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and at Carnegie Tech’s theater school. After graduating, he worked as an advertising agent,…
GORDON JENKINS By Mahnuel Muñoz On May 12, 1910, Gordon Jenkins, the Master of Orchestral Exuberance, was born. His arrangements may seem anachronistic to many modern ears, but they were an essential part of the popular musical sound of the…
FRANK AND THE PRESIDENT’S INAUGURAL GALAS. By Mahnuel Muñoz Frank always liked politics. His mother was an active Democrat, and Sinatra grew up surrounded by a progressive ideological environment that led him, when he was already famous, to support his…
RICHARD RODGERS By Mahnuel Muñoz Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) was the most successful composer of the Great American Songbook. Over the course of a 60-year career, he wrote the scores for 42 musicals performed on Broadway or in the West End,…
One For My Baby: The Quintessential Saloon Song By Mahnuel Muñoz On August 11, 1947, Frank Sinatra recorded his first version of “One For My Baby (And One More For the Road),” the composition by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer…
THE LAST YEARS OF FRANK SINATRA By Mahnuel Muñoz EPISODE 6 “One wonders what Sinatra is thinking in his last concerts when he declaims the famous lyrics of “My Way”: ‘And now the end is approaching and I face the…
Sinatra’s vocal technique By Mahnuel Muñoz Since he first felt the desire to sing, Frank Sinatra opted for virtuosity when it came to modeling his style and getting the most out of the instrument. Like all young vocalists of his…
