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The epitome of the transition from the bandleader to the singer was
singer
Frank Sinatra,
one of the creative forces of jazz phrasing
("the voice") and the quintessential Italian baritone.
He took Bing Crosby's romantic crooning to new evocative (and swooning) heights.
He debuted in the big bands of Harry James, in 1939,
and, between 1940 and 1942, Tommy Dorsey (of whom Sinatra
basically emulated vocally the expansive trombone style).
As he launched his solo career, he collected a repertory of ballads
that served him well throughout his career, notably
Johnny Mercer's Dream (1945),
Victor Young's Stella by Starlight (1947),
Ken Lane's Everybody Loves Somebody (1948),
Frank Loesser's Luck Be A Lady Tonight (1950),
Johnny Richards' Young At Heart (1954),
Cole Porter's I've Got You Under My Skin (1956),
Harry Warren's You're Getting to be A Habit With Me (1956),
Stephan Weiss' Put Your Dreams Away (1957),
Johnny Mercer's Blues In The Night (1958),
Vernon Duke's April In Paris (1959),
Bert Kaempfert's Strangers In The Night (1966),
and
Billy Byers' The Lady is a Tramp.
He also sang with the big bands of Count Basie and Duke Ellington.
His albums, starting with
the chamber-jazz arrangements of Swing Easy (1954),
were among the most refined of the 1950s.
In The Wee Small Hours (1955), arranged by Nelson Riddle, is a contender for the title of first concept album.
Songs For Swinging Lovers (1956), again arranged by Riddle, fused swing's big band and string orchestra.
Come Fly With Me (1958) was arranged by Billy May.
In 1960 Sinatra founded Reprise Records and his albums (arranged by veterans
of the swing era) returned to a jazzier sound.
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Matteo Nicoli)
Frank Sinatra è l'esempio per eccellenza della transizione da leader di un
complesso a cantante, una delle forze creative del fraseggio jazz ("the voice",
la voce) e la quintessenza del baritono italiano. Portò il cantato
romantico di Bing Crosby a nuove evocative (ed estatiche)
vette. Debuttò nel 1939 nella band di Harry James e, tra il 1940 ed il 1942,
in quella di Tommy Dorsey (del quale Sinatra cercava di emulare vocalmente lo stile con cui
suonava il trombone). Come lanciò la sua carriera solista,
iniziò a collezionare una serie di ballate che porterà con sé
per tutta la sua carriera, degne di nota sono
Dream di Johnny Mercedes (1945),
Stella by Starlight di Victor Young (1947)
Everybody Loves Somebody di Ken Lane (1948),
Luck Be A Lady Tonight di Frank Loesser (1950),
Young At Heart di Johnny Richards(1954),
I've Got You Under My Skin di Cole Porter (1956),
You're Getting to be A Habit With Me di Harry Warren (1956),
Put Your Dreams Away di Stephan Weiss (1957),
Blues In The Night di Johnny Mercer (1958),
April In Paris di Vernon Duke (1959),
Strangers In The Night di Bert Kaempfert (1966), e
The Lady is a Tramp di Billy Byers.
Cantò anche nelle grandi band di Count Basie e
Duke Ellington. I suoi album, a partire dagli
arrangiamenti di jazz da camera di Swing Easy (1954), furono tra i più rifiniti
degli anni '50. In The Wee Small Hours (1955), arrangiato da Nelson Riddle,
è in lizza per aggiudicarsi il titolo di primo concept album. Songs For
Swinging Lovers (1956), sempre arrangiato da Riddle, fonde lo swing da big band
e di un'orchestra di corde. Come Fly With Me (1958) fu arrangiato da Billy May.
Nel 1960 Sinatra fondò la Reprise Records, ed i suoi album (arrangiati da
veterani dell'era swing) tornarono a sonorità jazz.
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