Lecture 21.doc

Lecture 21 CREATEDATE 4/15/09 9:52 AM Frank Sinatra ?My Way? Lived to be 82 Technique is so effortless, sometimes is goes unnoticed Had excellent breath control Almost seamless Physically doesn?t have to take a breath when others do Marvelous ability to sustain notes on consonants; most do it on vowels Swings Never learned to read music, he wrote it and conducted sessions for other artists A lot to not like about him: Most likely had connections with the mob Political leanings from left to right Intensely loyal, when someone wasn?t loyal to him, watch out Most magnetic person on stage, so nonchalant his father was a naturalized immigrant from Italy, had ties in Cicely went from job to job until mom got him a job in the fire dept his mother was most important member in the family paid abortionist political block leader through her connections as a kid all he wanted to do was sing his mom bought him his own PA system discovered by Harry James and hired to be a big band singer Tommy Dorsey ? trombone player, wanted him in his band Signed him to a contract to sing in his band Circular breathing ? breathing in and out at the same time, can?t do it vocally, but can instrumentally The contract he signed called for Tommy Dorsey to have 43% of Frank Sinatra?s gross income for the rest of his life ?I?ll Never Smile Again? ? sang with Tommy Dorsey romantic, warrior ? kind of music he sang can?t go into the service ? 4F ? unfit for military service, some physical problem (flat feet, eye sight) punctured eardrum that bothered him becomes the icon for the American male in the 70s finally gets his release from Dorsey had a gun pointed at Tommy?s head/mouth there was a cash settlement, represented a miniscule portion of what he was going to make in the next year from that point on felt loyal to the people that got him out of his contract started getting the reputation of being a womanizer, punched a couple of people he didn?t like (news reporters) became a spokesman for racial equality made a short film, ?The House I Live in? ? won an Academy Award theme is about tolerance, 15 minute film, didn?t get pay much for being in it young teenage girls who adored him would come to his concerts and swoon and faint and scream ? say he started that all for all other bands appears in a lot of movies, often the shy actor, almost nebbish kind of character, never really a commanding figure, some of them quite good ?On the Town? ?Old Man River? from ?Showboat? normally associated with a black person, controversy, backed down and then the people quieted and he sang it anyway takes breaths where you don?t expect it, holds notes you don?t expect him to pretty successful in Hollywood for awhile, then success starts to get to his head a bit takes the roles to make the money and his fans will still like him musicians? strike ? wanted better benefits no more recording singers are not counted as musicians in the musicians union wanted to do songs with just singers one of the things that killed the big bands because they just got used to just singers he became such a jerk so Columbia Records starting giving him bad material ? his record sales dwindled started fooling around had an affair with Ava Gardner ultimately divorced his wife publicity was terrible and his popularity sank and sank got an opportunity to play a secondary role in ?From Here to Eternity? thanks to Ava was brilliant in it ? won Academy Award best supporting actor appears in the film ?Suddenly? would be presidential assassin, runs this little community and prepares to kill the president menace in the film ?Man with the Golden Arm? ? some incidental singing in the film probably no other actor has the thread of acting Sinatra did