Rating: 
Summary: I'm broke- that's "oke."
Review: Well, I'm old enough to be able to say I miss musical variety television. Obviously we have larger venues of musical entertainment now thanks to cable, but in many ways the musical sources are startlingly different from thirty-six years ago. In 1967, a singer and an acoustic guitarist could sit down and knock out "Change Partners" and "Girl From Ipanema" (in two different languages, yet!!) and entertain a very gratified audience. This special, recently spotted on PBS, is one not to be missed: it features the Frank Sinatra of his Rat Pack/Mia Farrow days, perenially garbed in evening dress with martini and cigarette in hand, doing what he does best: singing with ease and grace. The ballads- from "Ol' Man River," "Put Your Dreams Away," and especially Cole Porter's "I Concentrate On You" are lovely. And if that wasn't enough, the special flows seamlessly from the charm of Antonio Carlos Jobim's guitar to the drop-dead elegance of Ella Fitzgerald, who appears with the host twice: first in a medley of 'modern-day' 60's songs (this is a time capsule onto itself) like "Goin' Out of My Head," "Ode to Billie Joe," and others; then reappears with Sinatra at the end of the hour to burn up some old standards: "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "At Long Last Love," "Stompin' At The Savoy," and the undisputed finale, the stunning call-and-response arrangement of "The Lady Is A Tramp." This song is nothing short of marvelous, for the simple reason that it shows the singers having a ball. Sinatra was very much in the cynical, pseudo-arrogant songster persona at this time, but when he takes the stage with Ella the mask of steel is completely melted away and he is visibly relaxed and jovial, even stopping to show admiration of her scatting improvisation. They not enjoy each other's special gifts, they clearly enjoy each other, and it shows. It's a glorious moment of live television that was never really matched again, but it is captured on a very clear, crisp DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: "Sinatra and his crew of guests continues on this chapter"
Review: What 2 sat, I'm a real Sinatra fan and always have been. I'd been in love with him since I read some articles, books, songs, music, and stuff about him and how he became a legend and when did he die. He will always remain one of the greats that remain in pop culture 2day. I've been admire for so long and would 2 get a taste from him. He such a pioneer and a Musical Genius that rock the nation of jazz and pop music.
This is definitely one of my favorites from him incl. a gig with Ella Fitzgerald and Antonium Carlos Jobim (hate mispelling his first name altogether). Playing along with him is the Nelson Riddle Orchestra doing much work. This is something u should add in2 your collection if u love Sinatra or else never been.
I give it a high rating of 5 stars (A+).
Rating:
Summary: I'd give it 6 stars if it were possible
Review: With the exception of the first duet with Frank and Ella, which attempts to address the then-current pop culture (weak renditions of movie themes and chart busters) this video is a monster, one for the archives.Frank comes out roaring on an updated arrangement of Day In, Day Out at a break-neck tempo, sings the bejesus out of it and working the stage like the zenith of an entertainer he was. On Old Man River, right before the last verse, he holds a low G, then without taking a breath, slurs right into the verse. Perhaps even more impressive than this display of technical virtuosity is how he stays "in character" after the song ends. The audience is applauding like mad, and instead of acknowledging it, he still assumes the character in the song, a slave who is at his pain threshold. This is what seperated Sinatra from the other singers. He didn't need a six octave range to deliver. He simply studied the lyrics, digested what the writer wanted to say, and put himself in the first person. Flexibility and diversity are present as he brings the belting down to a whisper to blend in with Jobim's soft bossa-ballads as well as bossa nova treatments of Cole Porter's "I Concentrate On You" and Berlin's "Change Partners". Ten minutes of magic here. The finale is one for the archives. Frank is not reluctant to let Ella loose for some of her trademark scatting and more than holds his own "They Can't Take That Away". I think he even inspired Ella here, definitely a mutual-admiration society. "The Lady Is A Tramp' is not to be missed, complete with an intro not familiar to most. They pulled out all the stops, causing the studio audience to applaud long enough to trigger a reprise of the last verse and chorus. To close the program, Sinatra remarks he can't remember an hour going by so quickly. He is sincere here. He brought top talent in and they all delivered. This is entertainment bliss. Please don't miss it.
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