BlueNote I'm no Sinatra fan. It's not that I don't like him, I just usually don't feel like listening to him for a whole album.

However, In the Wee Small Hours is an exception. It's one of those exceptions you have to love, one of those you can play while drinking whiskey and smoking cigars in front of your fireplace, one of those, people think you listen to all the time when you tell them you like jazz. Simply put: It has charming atmosphere, but it's not very demanding.

I can recommend this album to everyone, there are few things as fitting as this one when you want to listen to something in the wee small hours of the morning when the whole wild world is sound asleep.

Matt Recorded in 1967 with the last session on Frank Sinatra's 52nd birthday. First time that Duke Ellington had ever worked with the chairman of the board and also we have none other than Billy May arranging and conducting. What a fabulous co-joining of great artists with Billy May having been behind so many of Sinatra's classic Capitol albums with his arranging. What can one say about Duke Ellington that has not been said as we all know Jazz would not be the same without that mans contribution beginning in the 1920's and most of his orchestra from the time is here with him. Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney are just a few of the sax players, Rev. Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson on trumpets with Sam Woodyard drumming and Jimmy Hamilton blowing clarinet. Sounds great and sounds just as good with all these total professionals involved. Frank Sinatra had already had two great albums with Count Basie and band, done a beautiful one with Antonio Carlos Jobim just short of two years previously and now it was Duke Ellington's turn.

Eight tracks only within the album with "Follow Me" out of "Camelot" first with great swing coming from the orchestra and Frank comes in with that swagger with his vocal delivery on this mid tempo number, for this style of music. Beautiful sax contribution from Johnny Hodges and what would an Ellington sound be without a trumpet playing only a sound that emanates from the old South and Cootie Williams does just that with Cat Anderson's trumpet contribution cracking mirrors with it's high points. Of course the Duke plays superbly with that absolutely minimum touch. "Sunny", Bobby Hebb's hit and composition is given the treatment from Frank and co. next up with Cootie Williams really laying down some more of his great trumpet sound at the intro of the tune which is played at a slightly slower pace than Bobby's original hit and Cootie just keeps jabbing that trumpet in between Frank until he solos with that beautiful slow drag. Another tune picked from a musical "All I Need Is The Girl" with more Sinatra swagger and the Ellington Orchestra right on the spot with Frank but already by this time within the album I am starting to think it is more of the same, albeit the orchestra keeps playing absolutely beautifully and Frank is right on the money as usual it is just these mid tempos after mid tempos that already are starting to bring a sameness to the album. "Indian Summer" which follows with even the Ellington Composition "I Like The Sunrise" seem to be going in the wrong direction being even more of a slower tempo within the album. They are great songs but together that sameness is creeping in. "Yellow Days" and "Poor Butterfly" are played to perfection but only back to that mid tempo. Finally on the last track we get the punch with "Come Back To Me" being the only number that really swings within the album but alas it is all to late due to the album's sameness. Play this one first or mid album and try and break the album up.

Good album but that sameness with so many of the songs tempo's starts to make thing a little on the boring side at times even with all these legends present. There should have been another one or two numbers with punch which the Ellington Orchestra would have delivered superbly instead of these tunes picked with one even harkening back to Frank's Dorsey days, all sounding the same due to their time structures. Who picked the song selection?

friso Frank Sinatra - Days of Wine and Roses, Moonriver and other Academy Award winners (1964)

This album, listed under compilations, is actually a studio album released in 1964 with new recordings of a list of former Academy Awards winning songs (originally performed by other performers). The band, string & copper sections are arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle. His work on most songs is very good, but 'Moon river' (which of course became one of his most famous songs), 'Three coins in a fountain', 'Secret love' and 'Love is many-splendored thing' stand out as more bombastic, inventive, lively and symphonic in nature. Simpler songs like 'Days of wine and roses' and 'The continental' are less impressive, but still strong.

Frank's vocals are strong, but one can't help getting the feeling he is saving some of his brilliance on the simpler songs on the album, whilst the more impressive arrangements allow him to give his full voice. The most enchanting moments are 'Moonriver' in its entirety, the wonderful couplet themes of 'Three coins in a fountain', the subtle warm opening section of 'Secret love' and grandiose vocals on 'Love is a many-splendored thing'.

Overall this album is an easy entry for most people, all songs are accessible. Fans of more artistic forms of jazz-vocal music might want to collect some other Sinatra albums first for this reason.

Conclusion. A good, light and playful (yet sometimes impressive) vocal jazz record with both a copper and a string section. Don't miss on 'Moonriver'! Four stars.

friso Frank Sinatra - Watertown (1970)

I became a music collector at age eighteen, collecting mainly psychedelic and progressive rock. 'Watertown' proved to be the perfect introduction in my long anticipated (but sadly delayed) venture into vocal jazz.

Thirst of all. I strongly believe this is one of the best records in my collection. I've always loved concept albums, but the combination of jazz vocals, jazz arrangements influenced by modern artistic forms of pop and a legend that makes one of his last stands with intimate and seemingly deeply moving performances is just unbelievable. But that doesn't yet make a record good, the compositions of Bod Gaudio and Jake Holmes are simply great and very sticky in a good way. The production is strong and lively in how it let's all songs follow up each other very nicely, which adds to the concept-album vibe.

The story is about a man living in the boring Watertown (Every-one knows the perfect crime; killing time) whose wife leaves him and their two kids for an exciting city life. The great opening track with it's gangster-like opening theme is a good introduction, but the first real blow comes with the well written en emotionally performed 'Goodbye' ("She reaches out across the table, looks at me and quietly says... good-bye"). The ballad 'Michel & Peter' is moving for it expresses a man's love for his family, a sentiment that is expressed not too often. 'What's now is now' stands out for it's positive energy and strong message, just before the artistic and inventive 'She Says'. The final track, 'The Train', is exciting and strongly emotional because of the strong open ending of the story.

Conclusion. A very moving concept album and qualitative entertaining experience. Somehow there are a lot of songs I carry with me. Five stars fully deserved.

friso Frank Sinatra - No one cares (1959) * my first review for jazzmusicarchives

'No one cares' is the second low-paced, bluesy, all-ballad string-album of Frank Sinatra and conductor Gordon Jenkins. After the succes of 'Where are you' (1957) and 'Only the Lonely' (1958) with Nelson Riddle yet a third album of this kind was released between the otherwise up-tempo brass arranged albums of the Capital period.

One can't help to be bit amazed about the magical environment that is your living-room whilst playing a record like this. The string arrangements, backed up by bass an chords-guitar sound great, even though this is a mono-recording from '59. Because of lack of drums, there is a more intimate sound to this album, even though the string-arrangements sound grotesque. Frank Sinatra is his prime and shines especially on the moments on which he interprets bluesy lines with his jazzy background. It's almost like acting without a screen, these performances are alive.

The atmosphere of this record is whimsical and bluesy most of the time, but some songs have a more orchestral approach, like the impressive and brilliantly arranged 'Where Do You Go?' (a personal favorite of mine) and the adventurous 'Here's That Rainy Day' with its particularly strong opening section. On other songs I get sucked up in the slow pace and the tragic vocals and lyrics "When no one cares..".

Conlusion. A very impressive bluesy low pace vocal jazz record that get's me out of my busy thinking. Just sit down and dream a while. Four and halve stars for this one.