Frank Sinatra was not only a great singer but also the ultimate recording artist, Granata asserts. This book brings to light the fascinating working methods Sinatra introduced and mastered in his quest for recorded perfection. Sinatra is pictured in 100 photos working with orchestras and arrangers, listening to playbacks, and, of course, singing.
Annotation:
While much has been written about the turbulent private life of Frank Sinatra, the very essence of what made him such a magnetic performer--his voice--has largely gone unsurveyed. Charles L. Granata, the producer of Sinatra's Columbia recordings, goes some way towards correcting this imbalance in this comprehensive overview of the many factors that went into transforming a Sinatra performance into a record. From the arcane (the advent of the Neumann U47 microphone was an unsung yet seminal event in recording technology, giving greater freedom to both producer and singer in reproducing a performance) to the evocative (depictions of the atmosphere in the studio when Sinatra recorded, which was both jocular and intensely serious), SESSIONS WITH SINATRA is a fascinating insider's look at the intensely private creative process of one of the great artists of the 20th century. Over 100 magnificent candid color and black-and-white pictures capture the singer at his most relaxed and most engaged, while comments from such studio legends as Nelson Riddle, in addition to Sinatra himself (the latter is especially fascinating on microphone technique), make SESSIONS essential reading for any fan of pop culture.
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