“THE SONG IS YOU” THE COMPLETE TOMMY DORSEY / FRANK SINATRA DISCOGRAPHY (1994)
Frank Sinatra “The Song Is You”…. February 1 is a date indicated in the calendar of Frank Sinatra fans, because such a 1940 day our beloved man began his tenure as a singer of the Orchestra of Tommy Dorsey, one of the most important of his time. In the two years that his professional relationship lasted, director and vocalist benefited each other from their talents: the popularity of the Dorsey Orchestra grew exponentially and Sinatra learned a good part of the techniques that would make him the voice of the twentieth century.
There were almost a hundred songs recorded and numerous live concerts that cemented the seminal character of this association, which after the stage was of everything but harmonious: the strong temperament of both artists led to several disagreements that culminated the day Frank Sinatra communicated- due in advance-which left the orchestra to start a solo race. Tommy Dorsey was not willing to facilitate the departure of the singer and the resolution of the procedure remains today debate.
In spite of everything, Frank Sinatra never forgot the debt contracted with Dorsey and not only recognized the importance of those days for his career in interviews, private conversations and conferences, but also met with him in a concert in 1956 and dedicated a beautiful album of tribute in 1961 (“I remember Tommy“).
In August 1994 Frank Sinatra continued tirelessly giving concerts in the United States and starring headlines, some admiring his determination and others regretting his inevitable decline. The American musical panorama was given to the feet of R.E.M after the launch of the album “Monster“, and the movie theaters were filled to contemplate the epic life of Forrest Gump. Thousands of kilometers from Frank, I was 17 years old and I was immersed in the discovery of classic rock and roll, falling in love with Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. Although I knew Sinatra, for me it was still not a reference, but an older man and something grumpy who got into my idols. At that time I would never have dedicated my attention to the captivating voice of the voice or to the dreamy sound of the orchestras that accompanied him throughout his career.
As a tribute to the days when the blue -eyed legend began to forge, the RCA label released a 5 CD box set called “The Song Is You” with every studio master made by Frank Sinatra and Dorsey and abundant unpublished material. Frank Sinatra told the following in the extensive libretto of the box:
“My work with Tommy Dorsy and his orchestra was one of the happiest moments of my life. It is hard to believe that it has spent more than half a century since those records were recorded. I still enjoy listening to them, and I am delighted that the RCA Records Haya seal Made this collection”.
I had the pleasure of listening to some of the songs after being restored and amazes me how they have been. It is certainly the launch of the repertoire of Tommy Dorsey and Frank Sinatra that sounds best. The first four albums chronologically travel the recordings I made with Tommy, starting with our first date on study on February 1, 1940 and ending with “Light to Candle in the chapel” on July 2, 1942. They are completed with half a dozen of Rare and alternative shots and the four songs that I recorded with Axel Stordahl in January 1942.
The fifth album includes “live” material and is the dream of a collector! Most of the songs are unpublished and many of them were winners of the “Fame and Fortune” programs sponsored by NR Tablets. RCA has sequenced this album to simulate the sensation of an authentic radio broadcast, with the opening issue and my farewell speech for Tommy and the orchestra.
Producing a box of this size is a monumental work. Many people have invested their time and efforts to produce what they have in their hands. It is a project with which I am proud to be associated. Enjoyment. “
As Frank says, sound restoration is exquisite and music would seem freshly recorded if it weren’t because something so beautiful is no longer done today. Here we have a suggestive mixture of themes arising from the fashion of the moment and standards of the great American songbook that receive the first of many readings that Frank Sinatra would make of them in the next fifty years (“i’ll be seeing you“, “Fools Rush in“, “I’ll Never Smile Again“, “Eventhing Happens To Me“, “Violets for Your Furs“, “Street of Dreams“, etc.) The book that accompanies music is another jewel; The text, created by Will Friedwald (standing ovation, please) provides abundant information on sessions, launches and the historical context in which this essential canon was created. The numerous photographs that adorn the pages help us to temporarily anchor at that seminal and exciting time, of obligatory knowledge to understand the iconographic synatra of the years that would come later.
The box was very well received by the collectors of Frank Sinatra and by the specialized criticism, which praised all the aforementioned qualities.
You can find it in the second -hand market at very affordable prices, so if you have the opportunity to get it, do not hesitate.
Article written by Mahnuel Muñoz. https://www.facebook.com/mahnuelmunozoficial
Tommy Dorsey Frank Sinatra Audio CD.
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