Frank Sinatra Sings “The Continental”
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One of the most controversial of all of Frank Sinatra's recordings was his 10 inch LP "Sing And Dance With Frank Sinatra." Recorded in April 1950, it came at a time when Sinatra was in poor shape both physically and vocally. He was involved in an affair with Ava Gardner which the studio chiefs at MGM film studios wanted to break up due to Sinatra's ugly brawls with the tabloid press and his possible connections to the Mafia. They sent Gardner to on location shoots in Africa for the film "Mogambo." Sinatra would drop everything he was doing and fly to Africa to be with Ava Gardner. In the process, his health began to take a serious downturn as did his career. This affected his voice which would be great on one phrase, then fall apart on the next. Mitch Miller solved the problem by recording especially for "Swing and Dance With Frank Sinatra" Sinatra's vocal tracks separately from the orchestra. All of this was done in secrecy for Miller could face being kicked out of the musicians' union for recording separate tracks. It's quite noticeable on this track of "The Continental" after the pulsating riff figure on saxes. Leading the big band on this session was George Siravo who did all of the up tempo arrangements for Sinatra ever since 1943 due to Axel Stordahl, Frank's chief arranger and conductor, hated writing a "swing" chart. On this particular recording, Billy Butterfield is playing a muted trumpet on this April 14, 1950 recording session.
Comments (4)
This is the swingingest track I've heard Sinatra sing, which probably shows how few I've heard. I read that Sinatra ended up having no trust in Mitch Miller's taste for song suggestions, leading to friction between the two. How could a guy famous for his sing-along albums not have impeccable taste? :-)
Spike,
I have always wondered the same about Mitch Miller. His taste may be in question, but his innovations in setting up the system of marketing music to the lowest common denominator set the standards for years to come. Miller was also a classical musician, among the first to graduate from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, and was a highly respected performer on both oboe and English horn. He made both classical and popular music recordings on both and was a member of the top session players on radio and records. I have a tape of his leading the Boston Pops when they were auditioning several maestros to succeed Arthur Fiedler. His concerts were among the best. There is a possiblity that Miller could have been less than sensitive in knowing what songs and backgrounds would suit a performer. His choices for artists were popular with the public but were known as Miller's mess-ups because they couldn't really perform. Hope this isn't too long! :)
Yours, musikfriend
Your comments are never too long. You know so much interesting stuff.
Spike,
Thanks for the compliment!
Yours truly,
musikfriend