Home :: DVD :: Musicals & Performing Arts  

Ballet & Dance
Biography
Broadway
Classical
Documentary
General
Instructional
Jazz
Musicals
Opera
World Music
Frank Sinatra - A Man and His Music + Ella + Jobim

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

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $17.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 >>

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Definitely Worth It!!!!
Review: You will get "your money's worth" with this one. Ella is fantastic and Jobim is smooth as hell!Sinatra's rendition of, Ol' Man River is unbelievable. He sustains a note into oblivion. His breath and voice control are overwhelming. It's hard to believe he was human.This dvd is simply wonderful!!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sinatra's finest hour
Review: ...of television, that is. It was 1967, and Sinatra sounds terrific. On this particular special, he duets with Ella Fitzgerald twice and Antonio Carlos Jobim once. Sinatra and Fitzgerald should have made an album together because their voices mesh perfectly. Ella Fitzgerald is maybe the only female vocalist who could sing swing as well as Sinatra, and their playful duets are the highlight of the show. She is obviously inspired by Sinatra; she nails her solo of "Body and Soul" while he sits in the backround visibly smiling. Pretty much every song they sing together is a highlight, though I'm partial to "Goin' Out of My Head" and "Stompin' at the Savoy."

Nearly as good (or better depending on my mood) are Sinatra's duets with Antonio Carlos Jobim. The highlight is "The Girl from Ipanema" which is chill inducing. Sinatra sings out front while Jobim plays the guitar and murmurs softly behind him. Sinatra's phrasing is perfect, and he somehow makes this soft bossa nova tune swing. Sinatra and Jobim did make two most excellent albums together. If you don't have 'em, you'll want 'em after watching this.

I can't recommend this enough. Like a great record, you can listen (and watch)repeatedly and never get tired of it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Master Music Show for TV
Review: A Sinatra session with Ella Fitzgerald; a Sinatra Bossa Nova session with Antonio Carlos Jobim; Nelson Riddle in action ... wow! As Ira Gershwin would say: - Who could ask for anything more? Beyond category!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Show that will Spoil you
Review: Ella Fitzgerald a Great Great Talent.Jobim Very Talented,then you Have Nelson Riddles Orchestration that is something else.but to top it all off you have the Greatness of Frank Sinatra leading the charge.His Vocals were top notch here&this is one of those Specials that you will be glued to from start to finish.the arrangements are vibing&this is One Groovy Good time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Frank+Ella+Jobim=Perfection!
Review: First aired in November of 1967, "Sinatra + Ella + Jobim" remains not only Sinatra's "finest hour" on television, but one of the great music specials of all time.

Frank and Ella have two segments together-- the first, in which they explore some of the 'contemporary'songs of the day is capped with a duet of "Going Out My Head," which simply wraps up the song forever; the second, includes standards ranging from "Don't Be That Way" to "Stompin' At The Savoy," and concludes with a rousing duet on "Lady Is a Tramp."

The middle secion of the show has Frank and the late Antonio Carlos Jobim in a medley of both Jobim originals ("Quiet Nights"
"Girl From Ipanema") combined with American standards in the bossa nova vein:("Change Partners," "I Concentrate On You").

"Sinatra+Ella+Jobim" gives the MTV generation a lesson in what great musical television is all about...there are no flashy costumes or special effects, no dancers, strobe lights or dry ice.

Just a trio of great musical talents on simple sets doing what they do best.

All it takes is talent!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Frank+Ella+Jobim=Perfection!
Review: First aired in November of 1967, "Sinatra + Ella + Jobim" remains not only Sinatra's "finest hour" on television, but one of the great music specials of all time.

Frank and Ella have two segments together-- the first, in which they explore some of the 'contemporary'songs of the day is capped with a duet of "Going Out My Head," which simply wraps up the song forever; the second, includes standards ranging from "Don't Be That Way" to "Stompin' At The Savoy," and concludes with a rousing duet on "Lady Is a Tramp."

The middle secion of the show has Frank and the late Antonio Carlos Jobim in a medley of both Jobim originals ("Quiet Nights"
"Girl From Ipanema") combined with American standards in the bossa nova vein:("Change Partners," "I Concentrate On You").

"Sinatra+Ella+Jobim" gives the MTV generation a lesson in what great musical television is all about...there are no flashy costumes or special effects, no dancers, strobe lights or dry ice.

Just a trio of great musical talents on simple sets doing what they do best.

All it takes is talent!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Maybe the best entertainment you'll ever see.
Review: Frank and Ella in there prime at there best. It doesn't get any better than this.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very well balanced video
Review: I first rented this video a few years ago and enjoyed it. Sinatra is relaxed and loose on it yet swings hard with Ella and Nelson. Perhaps the Jobim segment could have been a bit longer. The sound mix on Sinatra's mic is not that great as it makes him sound cold and drowning in reverb....

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sinatra in his prime and his guests really shine!
Review: I have to admit I'm not an overly enthusiastic Sinatra fan myself, but he is certainly at his prime in this 1967 TV special. Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra are top notch as is Miss Ella in her solos and duets with Frank. The opening track "Day In, Day Out" featuring a lot of percussion instruments surrounding Frank is particularly memorable and full of drive.

The real reason I bought this DVD, however, was for the segment with Antonio Carlos Jobim. Frank and Antonio do a short medley of Jobim and Cole Porter-written songs (this segment of the show could and should have been MUCH longer) - but which medley unfortunately is credited to the arranging talents of Nelson Riddle - when in fact, the entire arrangement of all 4 Jobim and Porter songs played should have been attributed to Claus Ogerman. The arrangement of these four tunes can be heard note for note in the "Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim" 1967 LP (and now CD) on the Reprise label. Claus Ogerman arranged and conducted this entire album. Shortened versions of these four songs were only "lifted" from the album for this tv show. Antonio plays guitar chord changes in between the songs which make the 4 tunes flow effortlessly from one to the other. Nelson Riddle does a fine job arranging the music for the rest of the tv special, but I believe in giving credit where credit is due - and by no means did he arrange the Sinatra/Jobim part of the special.

Two of the very best albums Sinatra ever recorded were those with Jobim and I am glad that at least some of the material from one of these albums gets to shine on this tv special.

Of course, there are no words to describe Ella Fitzgerald's talent; every superlative about her singing has already been used many times over. She's great to both watch and listen to on this special and you can tell that Frank enjoys listening to her - when he's not singing with her himself - as well.

Anyone who loves bossa nova or wonderful renditions of standard swing and jazz tunes should definitely not miss buying this DVD. The only dissapointment for me is that it was not remastered in Dolby Digital, and offered in only PCM sound. Although the video part of the DVD is very good considering its age, it also could have done with a remastering to make it look even more pristine for the digital age.

--bj
January 2003.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Sinatra in his prime & his guests really shine!"
Review: I have to admit I'm not an overly enthusiastic Sinatra fan myself, but he is certainly at his prime in this 1967 TV special. Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra are top notch as is Miss Ella in her solos and duets with Frank. The opening track "Day In, Day Out" featuring a lot of percussion instruments surrounding Frank is particularly memorable and full of drive.

The real reason I bought this DVD, however, was for the segment with Antonio Carlos Jobim. Frank and Antonio do a short medley of Jobim and Cole Porter-written songs (this segment of the show could and should have been MUCH longer) - but which medley unfortunately is credited to the arranging talents of Nelson Riddle - when in fact, the entire arrangement of all 4 Jobim and Porter songs played should have been attributed to Claus Ogerman. The arrangement of these four tunes can be heard note for note in the "Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim" 1967 LP (and now CD) on the Reprise label. Claus Ogerman arranged and conducted this entire album. Shortened versions of these four songs were only "lifted" from the album for this tv show. Antonio plays guitar chord changes in between the songs which make the 4 tunes flow effortlessly from one to the other. Nelson Riddle does a fine job arranging the music for the rest of the tv special, but I believe in giving credit where credit is due - and by no means did he arrange the Sinatra/Jobim part of the special.

Two of the very best albums Sinatra ever recorded were those with Jobim and I am glad that at least some of the material from one of these albums gets to shine on this tv special.

Of course, there are no words to describe Ella Fitzgerald's talent; every superlative about her singing has already been used many times over. She's great to both watch and listen to on this special and you can tell that Frank enjoys listening to her - when he's not singing with her himself - as well.

Anyone who loves bossa nova or wonderful renditions of standard swing and jazz tunes should definitely not miss buying this DVD. The only dissapointment for me is that it was not remastered in Dolby Digital, and offered in only PCM sound. Although the video part of the DVD is very good considering its age, it also could have done with a remastering to make it look even more pristine for the digital age.

--bj
January 2003.


<< 1 2 3 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates