Sinatra - The Classic Duets (2003)

Frank Sinatra "Classic Duets" features an incredible roster of many of the greatest and most influential jazz and pop singers of all time. Compiled from Sinatra TV specials that originally aired between 1957-1960, this highly collectable program includes complete musical performances and special interviews and commentary from the Sinatra family, Tina, Nancy and Frank Sinatra Jr. Highlights include Frank Sinatra performing with Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Louis Armstrong, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Lena Horne, Nancy Sinatra, Elvis Presley and more.

"If My Lips Should Meet...With Frank Sinatra"

For those who've enjoyed listening to Frank's two duet cds in '93 and '94, I must say, for sheer all-time star power and for the sense of fun invoked, SINATRA: THE CLASSIC DUETS is an even better compilation. At just a little over an hour in feature length, this dvd offering has almost no fat on it and I actually zipped thru it twice on the same night. All the duets are gleaned from Frank Sinatra's television shows between 1957 and 1960 and either paired Frank with bonafide big names in the biz or are landmark moments (or both). In 17 musical duets on this dvd, Frank's love of music and his respect, deference (of Ella Fitzgerald, in particular) and admiration for his friends and colleagues shine clear through. Every time he's onscreen with his guests, he seems to be revelling in the moment and having a grand time.

In this disc, you can check out the momentous meeting between past and present singing heartthrobs as Frank sings with Elvis Presley ("Love Me Tender" & "Witchcraft"), as well as a delightful sequence with Frank and a mob of kids as they have fun with "High Hopes," a number wherein you can see just how fond Ol' Blue Eyes is of the rugrats. Speaking of kids, he's here on stage with his daughter Nancy, who, at that time, was engaged to Tommy Sands. Ergo, Frank's rewording of the song "You Make Me Feel So Young" to "You Make Me Feel So Old."

Frank Sinatra is universally celebrated for his phrasing, for the singular way he interprets and personalizes a song. Here, he partners with several artists who are also well known for their phrasing. Frank rhapsodizes with jazz greats Ella Fitzgerald ("Moonlight in Vermont" & the fun "Can't We Be Friends"), Louis Armstrong ("The Birth of theBlues"), and Lena Horne (medley). He gets with Bing Crosby for two songs ("Together Wherever We Go," along with Dino, & "September Song"). My favorite number, though, is Frank and Dinah Shore's breezy rendering of a medley of standards. I get a kick out of how, as they both bob and sway to the tunes, Frank kept cracking Dinah up with wiseacre comments while she was in mid-song ("It's a switchblade!"). There's a fun, vibrant chemistry between these two singers and you can sense the great friendship there. Also highly entertaining is Frank and Dino at the bar as they mess around with another medley while sharing a cigarette stub.

Now the gripes: to be honest, I've never liked Ethel Merman so, not too surprisingly, the "You're the Top" number left me cold. It also sucks that the number with Louis Prima & Keely Smith is so truncated. I love Prima and Keely Smith and the spontaneous and vigorous way they went after a song. Their Vegas stints were legendary for their off the cuff pizzazz, raucousness, and for the cool jet-set audience who made their shows the hot spot to be. So, it's a shame that they didn't get more camera time here. Plus, it would've been great to see more of Frank's hip playfulness unleashed in this wild team-up. Oh, well...

While the commentaries which take place in between the duets by Sinatra's kids do tend to be repetitive, there are still enough funny and interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes told about their dad. Check out the bonus features which expand on several of these commentaries. The bonus features also have further comments by the Sinatra offsprings. But the best part of the extras showcases several sequences of Frank engaging in playful conversations with his co-stars. Particularly humorous are his introductory moments with Bing, Dino, and the Hi-lo's.

SINATRA: THE CLASSIC DUETS is very much deserving of gracing a music lover's shelf collection. And for fans of Frank Sinatra, this unveils a glimpse of not only a more relaxed Sinatra and the hip swagger and swinging personality he developed in the mid-fifties, but also presents a cast of wondrous co-stars who will always be deemed giants in the universe of music. And, of course, the singing doesn't exactly suck. So this one's a four and a half starrer; I definitely recommend it for anyone's viewing pleasure, with or without a martini in hand.
March 26, 2007

one of the best

ANYTHING SINATRA IS WONDERFUL TO ME. I LOVE ALL OF SINATRA DVDS BUT THIS ONE IS SPECIAL IN THAT YOU SEE THE WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN HE AND THESE OTHER PEOPLE. MY FAVORITE IS HE AND DINAH. THIS IS THE CUTEST NUMBER ON HERE I BELEIVE, HOWEVER, THEY ARE ALL GREAT! HE AND DINAH REALLY HAD IT GOING TOGETHER, ALL THE HUMOR IS GREAT. SINATRA AND NANCY, ELVIS, SAMMY WERE WONDERFUL. BUT WHEN HE AND BING OR DEAN GOT TOGETHER ITS PURE MAGIC. YOU GET TO KNOW HIS CHILDREN AND WHAT THEY THOUGHT ABOUT ALOT OF THINGS AND PEOPLE FRANK WORKED WITH. THIS DVD ABSOLUTELY A MUST HAVE!! THERE ARE SO MANY STARS IN THIS. I LOVED IT AND LISTEN AND WATCH IT OFTEN. THE ONLY THING ITS SAD AT THE END WHEN FRANK WALKS AWAY OUT INTO THE NIGHT. DEFINETLY EMOTIONAL. THANKS, ANGELA January 3, 2007

Sinatra Synchonicity

Life is full of coincidences. I recently received an email from another Amazon reviewer who was kind enough to drop me a line complimenting on some on my reviews on this site. This only rarely occurs, so it seemed particularly striking that the gentleman in question also mentioned being a big Sinatra fan. I have only posted a few reviews relating to Sinatra projects, and none of them were among those that my correspondent was referring to, so the mention seemed to be apropos of nothing I had written.

But by sheerest coincidence, I had just been on a bit of a Sinatra kick myself and had justwatched his CLASSIC DUETS the night before. It turned out to be familiar territory. (I believe I had seen it broadcast on PBS previously.) No matter. It was fun to take in again. Sinatra may have been a great solo artist, but well before the somewhat contrived projects of the 90s, he had proven himself to be a masterful duet singer.

His secret, I think, was that he was sincere in his admiration of other artists. He seems absolutely delighted to share the stage with masterful singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee. There are two spots featuring Ella in this package, and the two singers play off each other beautifully. The Peggy Lee duet on "Nice Work Is You Can Get It" is, as you might expect, more subdued, but seductive (which probably goes without saying).

Working with other singers tended to bring out Sinatra's playful side, and it's likely that some viewers will find the relative lack of introspection in this collection a bit irritating. If you like your Sinatra straight, you may find the many jokey asides and glib improvisatiions a little much. If, on the other hand, you accept the premise that a bit of clowning was part and parcel of the camaraderie, it becomes easier to overlook all that.

As a one-shot viewing, this collection of duets culled from Sinatra's 50s TV series is a lot of fun. On repeated viewing, the commentary from Frank Jr., Tina and Nancy gets a little old. Their love and respect for their dad is touching, but they don't have a lot to say that's new or particularly insightful. The clip of 18 year old Nancy duetting with Dad on "You Make Me Feel So Young" (which he alters to "feel so old", natch, since, hey, she was 18 AND engaged to Tommy Sands) is charming though. At least first time out.

And that segues to the famous Elvis clip (who Nancy was totally in love with, she maintains, no doubt to T. Sands chagrin). What hasn't been said about that historic moment in TV and music history. Ironically, it's not really the MUSICAL highlight of this DVD. As Nancy notes in her commentary, both were a little nervous (and Elvis seems actually more than just a LITTLE). But it is a significant moment in pop culture history. And as they both note, their harmonizing as they close out "Love Me Tender" sure is pretty.

July 30, 2005

Timeless, old school cool ...

Frank Sinatra was undisputably a one man show unto himself, but when he performed with others, there was a fantastic synergy -- a more than the sum-of-its-parts type of excitement -- as evidenced by most of the clips on this DVD (a must-own for any Sinatra fan.)

Sinatra may or may not have had a big ego, but clearly he was willing to share the spotlight with others whose talent he admired. His duets here with Lena Horne and Peggy Lee are filled with the frisson of subtle sensuality; two attractive and mutually admiring stars soaking up the spotlight and putting on a performance not only for the audience and the cameras but also for one another.

The playful, comedic and fun-loving rascal Sinatra is evident in his duets with daughter Nancy ("You Make Me Feel So Young") and Ethel Merman ("You're The Top"). Frank's duet with Ella Fitzgerald highlights the mutual admiration -- and musical simpatico -- they shared, which makes it a "must have" in this collection. His shining her on and her frolicking reprimands make this duet a particularly memorable one.

Sinatra's performance with Dean Martin and Bing Crosby can't be beat for showcasing the boys' club bond -- these guys are like three frisky puppies gamboling across the stage ... in tuxedos, of course, and singing their beautiful hearts out. Extreme fun, that piece.

The only two performances here I take issue with (and really, it's a very small issue!) are his duet with the young Shirley Jones ("If I Loved You") -- it's rather an awkward pairing, though perhaps it's the fault of the song choice -- and Sinatra's duet with a young and stunning Elvis Presley. (Yes, ladies -- Elvis in a tux -- prepare to swoon!) It's a great performance and they have loads of fun with it, but Elvis really steals the stage. Not a bad thing, if you are an Elvis fan (as I am), and it IS a singular delight to watch them gently duke it out with one another, while Sinatra steps aside just enough to give the new guy on the block his day in the sun. But the screams from the audience were obviously all for Elvis, and Frank -- the seasoned performer -- took it in gracious stride. I'm glad this performance was included, though be prepared to see our beloved Frank hand over the torch, if only briefly, to Mssr. Pelvis ;-).

This DVD is one of the favorites in my collection -- I watch it whenever I need a lift out of the doldrums; watching Frank alone is enough to do that, but seeing him having the time of his life with other performers of his time is an extra special treat. As the DQ ads used to say, it's "scrumpdillyicious".

The only other note of dissatisfaction I have with this is the commentary from his children that's inserted between performances. While somewhat intriguing the first go-round (though they were, to a greater or lesser extent, biased and perhaps even blinded by their Dad's legacy), they turn boring and skip-able afterwards. Use your player's disc menu feature to play just the performances without these awkward bits of commentary that break up this stellar set of clips.





April 12, 2005

It doesn't get any better

I wish I was as eloquent as the real reviewers, but I'm just a guy who likes good music; Frank made good music. If for nothing else, buy this for the clip of Frank and Peggy Lee - it's oooozing with sensuality. After that, if only for Frank and Dinah Shore, Louis Armstrong and the closing medley with Deano - the rest of the clips are gravy baby. This one is worth every penny . . . August 22, 2004

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