Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music + Ella + Jobim

FRANK SINATRA should dispense with the banter between him and guest stars like ELLA FITZGERALD and just concentrate on the music. When he does, the show is a pure pleasure to watch and listen to.

His pure enjoyment of being a performer is reflected here, at his best when just doing his thing on standards like WHAT NOW MY LOVE and Kern's OLD MAN RIVER, or simply doing slow ballads to a Bossa Nova beat, like QUIET NIGHTS, CHANGE PARTNERS, I CONCENTRATE ON YOU and THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA accompanied by ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM on the guitar.

ELLA FITZGERALD gets a lot of time to do her special brand of singing and is especially good on BODY AND SOUL, DON'T BE THAT WAY and STOMPIN' AT THE SAVOY.

The finale is a rousing duet by Sinatra and Fitzgerald on THE LADY IS A TRAMP backed by the wonderful Nelson Riddle Orchestra.

Pure gold for Sinatra fans. Only drawback is the rather awkward staging, which has a partial audience visible throughout on platform seats behind the singers.

Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music + Ella + Jobim (1967)

*** (out of 4)

This is the third concert special the superstar did in three consecutive years. This time out he's joined by Ella Fitzgerald and Antonio Carlos Jobim and the overall show is really punched over over the previous two, although the second one is still my favorite. This time out the music has more of a Jazz sound to it and Sinatra plays it up loud and really fast. Jobim only plays on one song and I think this is the weakest part of the show as it appears this scene was just thrown in at the last second. The performance between the two isn't really bad but it does stop the show in its tracks. Sinatra performs "What Now My Love", "Old Man River", "Change Partners", "Quiet Nights" and a few more. Ella gets to sing a rousing version of "Body and Soul" and also joins Sinatra on duets of "They Can't Take That Away from Me" and "The Lady is a Tramp". The highlight actually isn't the music but the kidding between Sinatra and Ella in between the music. The way Sinatra is able to joke on himself and poke fun of a few of his films is very funny and charming.

Most of this 6o-minute made-for-TV concert footage involves Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Jobim was thrown in for a quick medley of Bossa Nova songs, which the rage at this particular time. It had a nice, pleasant sound and I wish they had spent more time with that music, but it didn't last long in this concert. Sinatra did sing the then-famous "The Girl From Ipanema" while Jobim accompanied on guitar.

The rest of the tape are the two heavyweights: Frank and Ella, two of the best pop singers ever. It's almost always a pleasure to hear Sinatra. His voice is so good and the way he "jazzes" up a number in excellent. He was a great showman, not just singer. Ella had a great voice, too, but, frankly, I would have preferred more of Sinatra.

The by-play between the two singers was terrible at times. Ella was no talker, just a singer and Frank's constant fawning over her was overdone. His jokes were lame, too. Still, where you can find a tape with these two "giants of the business" singing together?

This was the very best of an annual series of excellent one-hour musical specials that Frank Sinatra made for TV from 1965 to 1969. Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Antonio Carlos Jobim were all at or near the peak of their powers. Sinatra is in outstanding voice, particularly on "Old Man River" where he extends the low note on the word "jail" for nearly 20 seconds without taking a breath. Probably inspired by Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald gives one of her best ballad performances ever on "Body and Soul." Sinatra also does two medleys of songs with Fitzgerald and one with Jobim, which includes "The Girl From Ipanema" featuring Jobim playing guitar and singing along. All of the medleys are stunning, and the performers are clearly having a good time. The only jarring note takes place during the second Sinatra/Fitzgerald medley in which the well-dressed audience was probably told to sit shock still so as not to distract television viewers from the performances. Otherwise, it's hard to see how they could refrain from leaping out of their seats. The show really is that good.

Sinatra is at his best. While the previous "Man and His Music" specials are masterful, this one is the best of them all. Nelson Riddle conducts the orchestra and the arrangements are by Riddle and Gordon Jenkins. Ella's "Body and Soul" is stunning. Jobim makes a rare US TV appearance and does some numbers from his album with Sinatra. Even though Sinatra and Ella's "Goin' Out of My Head" is a bit silly, they perform a wonderful medley towards the end of the show. Why didn't they record together? While Sinatra is the king of cool and a fine jazz singer, Ella sings circles around him. The only flaw in the show is a long dramatic scene with Sinatra singing to a Jenkins string laden arrangement.