Sinatra & Company
Encyclopedia
Sinatra & Company is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra
released in 1971
.
The first side of this album is in the bossa nova
style, and the second side is influenced by soft rock
, featuring a couple of standards from John Denver
.
The bossa nova recordings were originally cut for a follow-up to the widely acclaimed Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
. Arranged by Eumir Deodato
, the recordings had been completed, the artwork finalized, and an 8-track tape release of the planned album, titled Sinatra-Jobim, briefly made available when the decision was made to retrench. Some of Sinatra's less mainstream albums hadn't performed well, and anxieties drove the creation of this hybrid.
Three songs recorded at the Sinatra-Jobim session – "Bonita", "Sabiá", and "Off Key (Desafinado)" – were omitted from Sinatra & Company. "Sabiá" was released in the USA as the flip side of the 45 rpm single "Lady Day" (Reprise 0970) in 1970, and was issued along with "Bonita" on the 1977 compilation Portrait of Sinatra and the 1979 compilation, Sinatra-Jobim Sessions
. "Off Key (Desafinado)" was unreleased until its inclusion on the box set The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings
in 1995. In 2010 the Concord Records
label issued Sinatra-Jobim: The Complete Reprise Recordings, a comprehensive collection of all the tracks recorded by Sinatra and Jobim.
A few 8 track versions of Sinatra-Jobim did survive, and are now eagerly sought after by collectors.
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
released in 1971
1971 in music
-Events:*February 1 – after months of feuding in the press, Ginger Baker and Elvin Jones hold a "drum battle" at The Lyceum.*February 8 – Bob Dylan's hour-long documentary film, Eat the Document, is premièred at New York's Academy of Music...
.
The first side of this album is in the bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
style, and the second side is influenced by soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
, featuring a couple of standards from John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
.
The bossa nova recordings were originally cut for a follow-up to the widely acclaimed Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim is a 1967 studio album by Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim.The tracks were arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman and his orchestra....
. Arranged by Eumir Deodato
Eumir Deodato
Eumir Deodato is a Brazilian pianist, composer, record producer and arranger, primarily based in the jazz realm but who historically has been known for eclectic melding of big band and combo jazz with varied elements of rock/pop, R&B/funk, Brazilian/Latin, and symphonic or orchestral music.Mainly,...
, the recordings had been completed, the artwork finalized, and an 8-track tape release of the planned album, titled Sinatra-Jobim, briefly made available when the decision was made to retrench. Some of Sinatra's less mainstream albums hadn't performed well, and anxieties drove the creation of this hybrid.
Three songs recorded at the Sinatra-Jobim session – "Bonita", "Sabiá", and "Off Key (Desafinado)" – were omitted from Sinatra & Company. "Sabiá" was released in the USA as the flip side of the 45 rpm single "Lady Day" (Reprise 0970) in 1970, and was issued along with "Bonita" on the 1977 compilation Portrait of Sinatra and the 1979 compilation, Sinatra-Jobim Sessions
Sinatra-Jobim Sessions
The Sinatra-Jobim Sessions is a 1979 double LP compilation album of Frank Sinatra's work with Antonio Carlos Jobim. The album was published only in Brazil by producer Roberto Quartin, and has never been re-released on vinyl or CD until 2010 when it was re-mastered and released under The Frank...
. "Off Key (Desafinado)" was unreleased until its inclusion on the box set The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings
The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings
The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings is a 1995 box set album by the American singer Frank Sinatra. The release coincided with Sinatra's 80th birthday celebration.The original 1995 packaging had the 20 discs encased in a small, leather-bound trunk...
in 1995. In 2010 the Concord Records
Concord Records
Concord Records is a U.S. record label now based in Beverly Hills, California. Originally known as Concord Jazz, it was established in 1972 as an off-shoot of the Concord Jazz Festival in Concord, California by festival founder Carl Jefferson, a local automobile dealer and jazz fan who sold his...
label issued Sinatra-Jobim: The Complete Reprise Recordings, a comprehensive collection of all the tracks recorded by Sinatra and Jobim.
A few 8 track versions of Sinatra-Jobim did survive, and are now eagerly sought after by collectors.
Track listing
- "Drinking Water" (Vinicius de MoraesVinicius de MoraesMarcus Vinicius de Moraes , known as Vinicius de Moraes and nicknamed O Poetinho , was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Son of Lydia Cruz de Moraes and Clodoaldo Pereira da Silva Moraes, he was a seminal figure in contemporary Brazilian music...
, Antonio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...
, Norman GimbelNorman GimbelNorman Gimbel is an American lyricist of popular songs, television and movie themes whose writing career includes such titles as "Sway", "Canadian Sunset", "Summer Samba", "The Girl from Ipanema", "Killing Me Softly With His Song", "Meditation" and "I Will Wait for You", along with an Oscar for...
) – 2:35 - "Someone to Light up My Life" (de Moraes, Jobim, Gene LeesGene LeesFrederick Eugene John "Gene" Lees was a Canadian music critic, biographer, lyricist, and former journalist. Lees worked as a newspaper journalist in his native Canada before moving to the United States where he was a music critic and lyricist...
) – 2:37 - "Triste" (Jobim) – 2:40
- "Don't Ever Go Away" ("Por Causa de Voce") (Ray GilbertRay GilbertRay Gilbert was a lyricist.Gilbert is best remembered for the lyrics to the Oscar winning song "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from the film Song of the South, which he wrote with Allie Wrubel in 1947.He married, in 1962, actress Janis Paige.Daughter, actress and singer Joanne Gilbert, July...
, Dolores DuránDolores DuranDolores Duran was a Brazilian singer and composer.Adiléia Silva da Rocha debuted at age 10 on the radio. Two years later, when her father died, she started to work on the television, too...
, Jobim) – 2:28 - "This Happy Madness" ("Estrada Branca") (de Moraes, Jobim, Lees) – 2:57
- "WaveWave (song)"Wave" is a song written by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Recorded as an instrumental on Jobim's 1967 album of the same name, English lyrics were added by Jobim for a November 11, 1969 recording by Frank Sinatra, released on his 1970 album Sinatra & Company...
" (Jobim) – 3:25 - "One Note Samba" (Jobim, Newton MendonçaNewton MendonçaNewton Ferreira de Mendonça was a musician, composer, and lyricist. He began as a pianist in 1950. In 1953 he started working with Antonio Carlos Jobim, something for which he is best known. Mendonça went on to co-compose music and lyrics for Desafinado, Meditação, and Samba de uma nota só...
, Jon HendricksJon HendricksJon Hendricks is an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is considered one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists...
) – 2:20 - "I Will Drink the Wine" (Paul RyanPaul Ryan (singer)Paul Ryan was an English singer, songwriter and record producer.Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Paul and his twin brother Barry were the sons of singer Marion Ryan, and had some success as a singing duo during the 1960s, known simply as "Paul & Barry Ryan"...
) – 3:30 - "(They Long to Be) Close to You(They Long to Be) Close to You" Close to You" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. It was first recorded by Richard Chamberlain and released as a single in 1963 as "They Long to Be Close to You," without parentheses. However, it was the single's flip side, "Blue Guitar," that became a hit...
" (Burt BacharachBurt BacharachBurt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
, Hal DavidHal DavidHarold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
) – 2:34 - "Sunrise in the Morning" (Ryan) – 2:50
- "Bein' GreenBein' Green"Bein' Green" is a popular song written by Joe Raposo in 1970 for the first season of the children's television program Sesame Street. It was originally performed by Kermit the Frog ....
" (Joe RaposoJoe RaposoJoseph Guilherme Raposo, OIH was a Portuguese-American composer, songwriter, pianist, television writer and lyricist, best known for his work on the children's television series Sesame Street, for which he wrote the theme song, as well as classic songs such as "Bein' Green" and "C is for Cookie"...
) – 3:00 - "My Sweet Lady" (John DenverJohn DenverHenry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
) – 3:01 - "Leaving on a Jet PlaneLeaving on a Jet Plane"Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a song written by John Denver in 1966 and most famously recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. The original title of the song was "Oh Babe I Hate to Go" but Denver's then producer, Milt Okun, convinced him to change the title....
" (Denver) – 2:25 - "Lady DayBillie HolidayBillie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
" (Bob GaudioBob GaudioRobert John "Bob" Gaudio is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer, and the keyboardist/backing vocalist for The Four Seasons.-Early career:...
, Jake HolmesJake HolmesJake Holmes is an American singer-songwriter and jingle writer who began a recording career in the 1960s...
) – 3:41
Personnel
- Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
- vocals - Antonio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim , also known as Tom Jobim , was a Brazilian songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, and pianist/guitarist. He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, scat singing (tracks 1 – 7) - Don CostaDon CostaDon Costa was an American pop music arranger and record producer, best known for his work with Frank Sinatra.-Career:...
- arranger, conductor (tracks 8 – 14) - Eumir DeodatoEumir DeodatoEumir Deodato is a Brazilian pianist, composer, record producer and arranger, primarily based in the jazz realm but who historically has been known for eclectic melding of big band and combo jazz with varied elements of rock/pop, R&B/funk, Brazilian/Latin, and symphonic or orchestral music.Mainly,...
- arranger (tracks 1 – 7) - Morris StoloffMorris StoloffMorris Stoloff was a musical composer.Stoloff worked as a music director at Columbia Pictures from 1936 to 1962...
- conductor (tracks 1 – 7)