You Make Me Feel So Young
Download

All Of Me (Instrumental)
Download

Angel Eyes
Download

Album: Sinatra At The Sands (1966)

It’s been awhile since I’ve spotlighted my collection of recorded live albums, so I’ve dug up a killer LP from the legendary Frank Sinatra. As if that wasn’t enough of a draw, he’s accompanied by Count Basie and his orchestra, with songs arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones. Wow, that’s a lot of talent in one room.

Recorded in early 1966 at Las Vegas’s Sands Hotel (Sinatra had an ownership stake in the Sands until Howard Hughes bought it a year later), this was Sinatra’s first live album. Sinatra, Basie, and Jones had previously collaborated on the studio album, It Might As Well Be Swing, which produced the huge hit, “Fly Me To The Moon.

As you can imagine, Sinatra in Vegas was a huge event, and the packed crowd is ecstatic. As expressed by Stan Cornyn in the liner notes for Sinatra At The Sands, “Two thousand knees with nowhere to go.”

The first track I selected was “You Make Me Feel So Young,” which your Mom totally loves. This song exemplifies the swinging, effortless style that Sinatra is known for. He makes it look so easy, but Sinatra spent decades perfecting his craft.

You can’t have Count Basie as your bandleader without showcasing his immense talents, and Sinatra was no fool, letting Basie and his orchestra let loose on the standard “All Of Me.” Jones’s inventive arrangement gives Basie all the room he needs, and the emphatic, buoyant horns provide a big band counterpoint to Basie’s mellow piano boogie. Since this track was recorded from vinyl*, you can clearly hear the murmur of the crowd in the background; listen as they “wake up” when the horns blast for the first time.

The last selection from this fine record is the ballad “Angel Eyes.” Simply performed with his long time pianist, Bill Miller, Sinatra’s phrasing on this track is nothing short of perfection. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Sinatra’s hilarious intro (“It’s boozin’ time!”), which is in stark contrast to the melancholy song that follows.

For years, my image of Sinatra was molded by Bar Mitzvah classics like “New York, New York” and “My Way.” I was really blown away after I heard this record, and it inspired me to seek out more from this dynamic personality and deeply adventurous singer.

*If you want to hear an example of the superiority of vinyl, compare the version of “Angel Eyes” above with this version ripped from the CD. Yeah, the LP version has some popping, but doesn’t Sinatra’s vocals sound warmer and more intimate?