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He never came back. He ran straight forward. : “The greatest change in my life be- gan the night they gave me the Oscar,” for “From Here SINATRA THE RECENT YEARS to Eternity.” Sinatra’s single. Young at Heart, became one of his three biggest selling singles at Capitol (with Witchcraft and All the Way). The came from slightly behind left field, where the kids wait for high foul balls. The publishers never even made a demo of the song. Nat Cole had re- jected it. Sinatra's producer thought the were little old lady stuff. Sinatra dug and did.

Television’s tin judges, “Juke Box Jury,” gave it a unanimous ding. Cash registers chingged. “Swing Easy” became his next big . Riddle ar- ranged it for four brass, four saxes, and four rhythm, stiil a relatively small compared to what was to come. Riddle was trying to get the feel of the old Red Norvo- polite swing; he even used a xylophone to

get Norvo’s sound. Out of it come I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter. NELSON RIDDLE: “Most of our best numbers were in

what I call the tempo of the heartbeat. That’s the tempo that strikes people the easiest because, without their know- ing it, they are moving to that pace all their waking hours. to me is sex— it’s all tied up somehow, and the rhythm of sex is the heartbeat.” Sinatra never gives Riddle much in the way of instruc- tions. All he’ll say is like, “Make this one in F, moderately Sinatra and Crosby rehearse a number from "High Sinatra (standing, left) is seen in front of a photo of fast, interesting but not cluttered, and swing.” And Riddle Society,” a 1957 film musical that had a score by the Capitol Tower with —of course—artists who re- knew. Cole Porter, one song of which, "True Love,” won corded for the label. Standing: Danny Kaye, Gordon NELSON RIDDLE: “The man himself somehow draws an Academy Award. MacRae and the late Nat Cole. Sitting: Glenn Wal- everything out of you.” lichs, chairman of the board of Capitol, He dared to go back: ten violins, three violas, and three and Stan Freberg. cellos. With Riddle he made “Wee Small Hours,” and one is driving, for them to wind up the deal. I wanted to form critic said, “Sinatra’s voice, phrasing and general approach FRANK SINATRA: “Billy Neison has depth, my own record company and run it along my own ideas.” to his art have as much intrinsic musicianship as Charlie with Gordon Jenkins it’s all so beautifully simple that to it’s like in the Critics find Sinatra’s records a little less than Sinatra. Parker.” Still in the ten-inch album era, “Wee Small Hours” me being back womb.” Like Sandy Koufax, only he’s pitched a five hitter today. was released in 1955 as a two-volume edition, sixteen Sinatra records two “low” albums. First, “Where Are They miss the mystique. was . The man total. You?” with Jenkins. Then he turns to Riddle and asks him to “write me the dirtiest album there ever was.” The wasn’t. But you never think of Riddle with strings. It’s Riddle result is “Only the Lonely.” Three prime years spent in swinging but uneventful who swings you remember. Sinatra renews his interest in film musicals and in recording: “Come Fly with Me” is echoed by “Come Dance NELSON RIDDLE: “In working out for 1957 makes his finest— “Pal Joey”—since “On the Town.” with Me” and “Come Swing with Me.” When Sinatra Frank, I suppose I stick to two rules. First: find main the Then he joins Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly for “High So- product was slow in being recorded, Capitol resorted to peak of the song and build the whole to that ciety.” He films the life story of his pally Joe E. Lewis in rounding up old singles for the “This Is Sinatra” series. peak, pacing it as he paces himself vocally. Second: when “The Joker Is Wild,” from which comes All the Way. During these years his best singing was never commer- he's moving, get the hell out of the way; when he’s doing FRANK SINATRA: “I’m not really a bona fide actor. I’ve cially recorded. His best singing was sung in a fuchsia nothing, move in fast and establish something." never studied. I’ve found that the one important facet is fountain of fluorescent fantasy Vegas a city without a For Sam Goldwyn, Sinatra makes “Guys Dolls,” — — and a listening is to the other performer. For me, acting quite clock in a world built of, by, and for insomniacs. turgid film version of the musical. Broadway simple: just trying to put yourself in the role of particular a la was ad lib, pie in the puss, pants down, free form,

FRANK SINATRA: “The only part I ever very dis- just listening was character and then and watching.” heckle and jest, tumble, and before the movie was in the

appointed with in I : was Nathan Detroit ‘Guys and Dolls.’ STANLEY KRAMER tOirecforl “He is the master of can The Sands stage had held extra-extra-guest stars Bob was pressured into doing it. I was badly miscast and so naturalness in acting.” Hope, Dan Dailey, Red Skelton, Danny Thomas, Cantinflas,

the whole cast. I to I was wanted play Masterson. mean Milton Berle, Harry James, Shirley MocLaine, and all this nothing disparaging about Marlon Brando, but Masterson THE FALLOW YEARS for a three buck minimum. didn’t fit him and he knew it.” Sinatra turns 43. The hair is thinned and he takes to One night, even President-elect Kennedy showed up. He He starred as the Stage Manager in a ninety-minute wearing wide-banded snappy hats. The face has grown was given a standing ovation. After the applause died. television special based on “Our Town,” with such new up. A decade has passed since he passed over an artistic Dean Martin asked, “What was the last name?” Cahn and Van Heusen songs as Love ,and Marriage. He plateau with . Sinatra knew. A year later, he staged the January 19, was driving himself harder than Phil Hill’s left piston. Now he reaches another plateau. In '48, he had con- 1961, Kennedy Inaugural Gala and raised $1,300,000 in Sinatra once again became, in the public view, more quered singing. By ’58, he had conquered singing and one night for the Democratic Party. than a man. They saw him as the all-night-kicks lotsa- acting. PRESIDENT KENNEDY: “I know we’re all indebted to a laughs-Clyde bring-on-the-broads Jack-Daniels-and-nuthin- He wants to keep running. He runs his own businesses; great friend, Frank Sinatra. Long before he could sing, he precinct in Jersey. Jack ring-a-ding Las-Vegas-kid. What your aunt used to radio stations, a piece of the Sands Hotel, music publishing used to poll a Democratic back New jets. to his precinct has to cover a country. But long after call a Good Time Chariie. To the public, he had all the companies, even a couple of He wants run own That grown depth of a birdbath. record company. he has ceased to sing, he is going to be standing up and He wants out of Capitol. speaking for the Democratic Party, and I thank him on They missed much. Sinatra had been building up, album FRANK SINATRA: “Some of my recent work for Capitol behalf of all of you tonight. You cannot imagine the work by album, a body of poetic interpretation, preserved on had lacked some of the spark it might have had. ... I he has done to make this show a success. Tonight, there records, such as no artist before him had done. For all his wasn’t happy during that period with Capitol and I’m are two shows on Broadway that are closed down, be- crashing self-assertion, through his art he was suggesting afraid some of those late albums show it—definitely they cause the members of the cast are here. And, I want him that man is still only a child, frightened and whimpering do. I’d said I wanted to quit Capitol and even if it meant and my sister Pat’s husband, Peter Lawford, to know that in the dark. not recording at all for two years until the contract ran we’re all indebted to them, and we’re proud to have them But to the public, Sinatra was the archetype swinger. out. But they let me go on the condition I cut four more with us.” Two albums in ’56 did little to discourage the image: “Songs for Swinging Lovers” and his most famous Capitol swing set, “Come Fiy with Me.”

“Come Fly” was the first album to capture at its fullest the Riddle-Sinatra sound: the background with the swinging brass. Riddle and Sinatra played all the slow ones faster than anybody else; they played all the fast ones slower than anybody else. This year, Sinatra switched producers at Capitol, from Gilmore to Dave Cavanaugh, a warm-hearted -prone professional. Cavanaugh has never been called a great administrator. He thought up big things, and forgot little things. Details. One night while they were in the process of making “Swinging Lovers,” Cavanaugh called up Sinatra at mid- night and said they needed three more numbers for the album. Sinatra said, “Well this is a hell of a time to let me know, in the middle of the night before the last date.” Sinatra called up Riddle and told him to start writing. Riddle found three old standards and was still writing arrangements by flashlight in the back seat of his car while his wife drove him to the session. The last arrange- ment I’ve Cot You Under My Skin—was. finished on top of a piano while the were on their break.

FRANK SINATRA: “Nelson is the greatest arranger in

the world. A very clever , and I have the greatest respect for him. He’s like a tranquilizer—calm, slightly aloof. Nothing ever ruffles him. There’s a great depth somehow to the music he creates.” But, under Cavanaugh’s influence, there are to be other arrangers, new arrangers. Billy May, for one. May, the musical humorist. May, the roundest man in the music business. His shape made Jackie Gleason look like a Korean orphan. May, the sweatshirt conductor. To Sinatra, recording with May was like having a bucket of cold water thrown in his face.

To Riddle and May is added another arranger, Gordon Jenkins. Jenkins, who writes with the simplest arranging style in music. His approach requires of Sinatra a pure singing style, simple, but correct to the millionth of a degree.

Cash Box—December 4, 1965 51