digital booklet - duets (20th annive

8/16/2019 Digital Booklet - Duets (20th Annive

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D E L U X E E D I T I O N


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Sinatra | D U E T S

ow fitting it was that the last time Frank Sinatra sang

in a recording studio it would be in ‘Studio A’ at the Capitol

Records Tower. In fact, Sinatra was the first artist to record in the

newly built Capitol studios in 1956. This was the now iconic buildingwhere he had recorded so many of his classic concept albums such

as Come Fly With Me and Only The Lonely among others.

The idea of a “duets” project had been floating around Sinatraland for almost a decade before it

finally came to be. In the summer of 1986, Tina Sinatra, Robert Finkelstein (the Sinatra family

attorney), producer Richard Perry and Walter Yetinkoff (then head of CBS Records) had discussed

the idea of pairing Sinatra with various Columbia artists. Mickey Rudin, Sinatra’s longtime attorney,

suggested they also include Mo Ostin of Warner Brothers Records to expand the project to include

artists from the Warner label. Rudin wrote his client, “Your partner in each of the duets should be

someone who would attract a new audience for your talents.” Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and

Whitney Houston were mentioned as possible duet partners. Nothing ever materialized and Sinatra

& company soon forgot the idea.

The project would be revived several years later with an entirely different creative and artistic group.

Capitol Records jumped at the opportunity to bring one of their legendary artists back into the fold.

“When I sing, I believe. I’m honest.”FRANK SINATRA

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The ubiquitous Phil Ramone, dubbed the “Pope of Pop,” came aboard along with Hank Cattaneo,

Sinatra’s longtime production manager, to produce the album. So on an evening in June 1993, it was

back to ‘Studio A,’ when Frank Sinatra finally began work on Duets .

The vocal sessions were all held at night because as Sinatra explained, “I like recording late at night.

The later the better. My voice was not meant for daytime use.”

Producer Hank Cattaneo recalled, “The Duets project was quite a challenge…we were all aware at

that time that getting Frank into the studio was not the easiest thing to do; it was in fact very

difficult. Though he was enthusiastic about the concept of doing a duets album, he didn’t

understand the approach that we would take. Frank asked that I get involved with the project and I

co-produced the album with Phil Ramone. We finally got Frank into the studio and Capitol built an

isolation booth for him to sing in. The first night I went into the booth with him, but Frank was

very uncomfortable being isolated. I could see he was uncomfortable and it was not going to work

out, so I suggested we pass and try another time. Frank said, ‘Fine, let’s go have something to eat.’

The second night in the studio he was again not comfortable and we cut it short; so we went out to

dinner again at La Dolce Vita in Beverly Hills. After Frank left dinner, I suggested to Phil and

Capitol that we record Frank the way he had recorded in the past and make it like he was on stage. I

said let’s do it like a performance as I knew this was our last shot.”

Frank Sinatra was never happy being isolated in the studio and once said, “Throughout the years on

the record dates I’ve done I’ve never been comfortable in a separate room away from the orchestra. I

cannot work that way when recording because I feel I need the support sound of the orchestra in the

room. I know I’ve driven engineers crazy because they try to isolate me from the velocity of the band.”

Cattaneo continued, “I went to Frank’s house that afternoon and told him that we were going to tryit like a show. We got him into the studio, I got him his wireless microphone, a teleprompter, a pair

of monitors, and very quickly sat him right next to Bill Miller (Sinatra’s ever present pianist since

1951). It began real well, I called out ‘Come Fly With Me’ and we just progressed on that note; we got

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Sinatra | D U E T S

nine tunes recorded that night. The band never once asked to take a break…it was just a thrill for all

of us involved. After each set the orchestra stood up and applauded him—it was a great success!

“The first duet we mixed was ‘The Lady Is A Tramp’ with Luther Vandross. Frank did ask me if Ella

Fitzgerald was approached to participate; he said it would be great to record with Ella. We tried but

unfortunately she was too ill by that time. Frank kept asking me on the road when he was going to

hear something. Luther had done such a fantastic job that I wanted Frank to hear the track. The next

time we were in Vegas, at the Desert Inn, I went up to his suite in mid-afternoon and played him a

cassette of the duet. I was watching him and Frank didn’t show much response while he was

listening; he would just shake his head. When the tune ended he simply said, ‘That was marvelous,

absolutely marvelous,’ and with that, tears started rolling down his eyes and mine too. To this day, I

still get chills thinking about that afternoon. Frank really enjoyed the success of the album; he

would call me and say, ‘Can you believe this success at this time in my life. It’s just wonderful!’”

Duets was an immediate hit and would sell over three million copies in the United States alone;

unprecedented for an artist of Sinatra’s age in a musical landscape that was dominated by rock and

rap. With its triple-platinum sales, a sequel, Duets II , was quickly planned. Combined, Duets I & II

sold millions of copies worldwide and became Sinatra’s two best selling albums at that time. A very

appropriate way for ‘The Chairman Of The Board’ to conclude his recording career that had began

in the 1930’s…king of the hill, top of the heap.

There certainly were other duets projects before but none of this magnitude. Sinatra himself had

decades earlier, in 1967, made one of his most successful singles with daughter Nancy on “Somethin’

Stupid.” In the twenty years that have passed since Duets was released, artists of all genres would use

the Sinatra model as a template.

Upon winning a Grammy® Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance for Duets II , Sinatracommented, “I share this marvelous honor with my duet partners, the fine musicians, and all the

technicians with whom we worked. I received my first Grammy® in 1959 and I am delighted the

wonderful music we’ve championed through the years endures.”

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In 2009, Bono wrote the following in a New York Times op-ed piece about working with Sinatra on

the Duets project:

...If you want to hear the l east sentimental voice in the history of pop music finally crack, though—shhhh—

find the version of Frank’s ode to insomnia, “One For My Baby (and One More For the Road),” hidden

on Duets. Listen through to the end and you will hear the great man break as he truly sobs on the line,

‘It’s a long, long, l ong road.’ I kid you not. Like Bob Dylan’s, Nina Simone’s, Pavarotti’s, Sinatra’s voice is

improved by age, by years spent fermenting in cracked and whiskeyed oak barrels. As a communicator,

hitting the notes is only part of the story, of course. Singers, more than other musicians, depend on what

they know—as opposed to what they don’t want to know about the world. While there is a danger in

this—the loss of naïveté, for instance, which holds its own certain power–interpretive skills generally gain

in the course of a life well abused.

Want an example? Here’s an example. Take two of the versions of Sinatra singing “My Way.” The first was

recorded in 1969…in the later recording, Frank is 78. The Don Costa arrangement is the same, the words

and melody are exactly the same, but this time the song has become a heart-stopping, heartbreaking song

of defeat. The singer’s hubris is out the door. (This singer, i.e. me, is in a puddle.) The song has become

an apology. To what end? Duality, complexity. I was lucky to duet with a man who understood duality, who

had the talent to hear two opposing ideas in a single song, and the wisdom to know which side to reveal

at which moment. This is our moment. What do we hear?

What we have heard—without exception—from Frank Sinatra throughout all of his recordings is

honesty. And that, my friends, is all he had hoped for.

CHARLES PIGNONE

August 2013

Op-Ed Guest Columnist article

written by BONO, Courtesy of The New York Times.

All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission.

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“...I’ve never been comfortable

in a separate room away from the

orchestra.”


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Sinatra | D U E T S

hen Frank Sinatra last walked down the halls of the

famed Capitol Tower in Hollywood and entered ‘Studio A’ to

record a new album for the label—as he did this year to make the

remarkable and historic Duets album—the year was 1961. I was born

that year, and like others of my generation, it probably took me a

little while to fully appreciate the singular, swingin’ brilliance of

Ol’ Blue Eyes, a man who remains indisputably the greatest singer

of the American popular song.

Even before my tastes matured, Sinatra had his impact on me. Growing up in New Jersey only a few

miles from where the man first took to the stage at a tiny roadhouse called the Rustic Cabin, I

remember staring at those evocative, almost haunting images on the covers of my parent’s prized

Sinatra albums, searching them perhaps for any clues about what it meant to be a man. And I can still

recall overhearing my father play “My Way” over and over again for inspiration in trying times. Still,

like a lot of those who came of age amid all the excitement of the rock ’n’ roll–dominated era, I only

gradually came to truly understand why Frank Sinatra always has been, and no doubt always will be,The Chairman of the Board. The reason, finally, is simple. True talent—genius in Sinatra’s case—

always rises to the top.

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recordings of the Duets material, as well as the cream-of-the-crop of current session players, all

under the musical direction of Pat Williams, a distinguished and award-winning composer, arranger,

and conductor. According to all parties involved, everybody in the room was acutely aware that this

was much more than just another session.

“When I first walked into the studio again I was a little nervous, apprehensive,” says Bill Miller,

Sinatra’s pianist since 1951, who’s been called “Mister Economy” because of his Count Basie-like sense

of tasteful restraint at the keyboards. “We all were nervous, I think, until we really got down to

business. It took me about a half an hour to realize that it was like we were starting all over again. It

seemed that way to me.”

Historically a man of few takes, Sinatra proved once again that he’s not the type to waste time in

the studio.

“Producing Sinatra is the ultimate gig because you know he’s a perfectionist and that the name of the

game is to get it as quickly as possible because that’s the way he works,” says Ramone. “This is not a

nine-or ten-take guy. It just isn’t. You’re talking one or two performances. What he did was not

dissimilar to what he did in the fifties. There’s orchestra preparation, then he walks in and he sings.

We had to roll two machines just in case. There’s no going back, there never is. He’s like a prize

fighter as he’s warming up. He gets there early and gets to work. He’s the consummate pro. There’s

a lot of love on this project. A lot of people who care. From the engineers to the assistant to the

security guards, everybody was up and wanting this to happen. And it did. The tape doesn’t lie. You

can’t fake that moment. You can fake a lot of things. But you can’t fake that moment.”

Gregg Field, Sinatra’s young touring drummer in recent years, got quite a shock early on at Duets

sessions. “We took our first pass at a song,” he remembers, “and I’m completely expecting to do

another one, figuring out how I’m going to change this and alter that. Then all of a sudden I hearhim say, ‘Next tune.’ In this day and age, that’s just unheard of. Everybody’s so concerned with being

meticulous that the spontaneity gets lost. This was as spontaneous as you can get.”

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“The atmosphere was one of urgency,” says Chuck Berghofer, Sinatra’s rhythm bassist on the road

and a veteran session great (his first Sinatra recording was Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are

Made for Walking”). “Everyone was on the edge of their chairs.” Berghofer recalls, “A lot of the

things that these seasoned studio pros do are boring. This certainly wasn’t. This was a dream band

that sounded fantastic. Mr. Sinatra commented on how good it sounded. And to me Frank Sinatra is

just the best singer there is. I’ve been a jazz musician all of my life, played with many wonderful jazz

players. And this man has the best timing and phrasing of any of ’em. And they’ll all tell you that.”

“It was a very emotional session,” recalls Ron Anthony, Sinatra’s touring guitarist. “He was really

digging in, giving it everything he had.”

“The treat was at the end of each tune when all the musicians applauded,” recalls Cattaneo. “They

went absolutely wild, then sat right down for us so we could get back to work. And then Frank

would say, ‘Let’s go, next song. Next take.’”

That general mood of spontaneity and excitement definitely carried over to the duet partners. “How

do you pick a duet partner for Frank Sinatra?” says Ramone. “I guess you could say that the line

forms on the left. I never heard of anyone not wanting to be on this record. Every artist had a very

strong viewpoint about wanting to be on this record, and that desire made it the easiest of all things

to do. It was amazing to see folks like Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole and Luther Vandross walk into

the studio and be so excited. Everyone had a very specific love for him. It’s very childlike. It’s more

than charming. It’s absolute adoration and respect.”

“To get to sing with Frank Sinatra is the biggest thrill in the world,” says Tony Bennett, speaking no

doubt also for all the other duet partners.

“There’s no doubt about it; the duet partners really rose to the occasion,” says Cattaneo. “They’resuch a talented group of people. For them to sing with Francis was an experience. They enjoyed it

and we enjoyed it. And he marveled every time a track was laid down.”

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Phil Ramone believes there are many pleasant surprises in store for a lot of people on the Duets

album. “The sound of people’s voices together who are not particularly known for singing in a

certain style is definitely happening on this record.” he says. “Those who love Luther or Gloria are

going to be surprised at the way they ascend to their own styles that are totally different from some

of their pop records. When you marry two things together, you musically become something else

than what’s expected. Everybody we’ve worked with for this project brought something to this

record I don’t think you’re going to see anywhere else.”

The classic songs featured on Duets are still the staples of a Frank Sinatra concert. For Sinatra, at the

heart of everything, there is always the song.

“In live performances we are currently doing tunes that are asked for by audiences over and over,”

says Sinatra, “and we decided to include some of these numbers on the new album. Audiences, as

well as performers, enjoy this classic form of music—standards by great lyricists and arrangers thathave withstood the test of time. I have great respect for a song and the creative process—from the

writing to the arrangement to the performance. I like to paint, and in some ways the performance of

a song—live or recorded—is similar: the completion of a beautiful piece of art.”

Duets is indeed a beautiful piece of art, a masterpiece that reminds us of what makes Sinatra one of

a kind. “In terms of audience, I think we’re going to cross a lot of lines with this record,” says

Ramone. “And that’s the name of the game. I want this to be a big record, not for the sake of greed

but for the sake of information. I want my youngest son and his friends to know what Frank Sinatra

means, in the same way I had to introduce him to The Beatles. I want a generation of people to have

something in their house that’s not going to come again.”

Last year, my father and I finally got to see a Frank Sinatra show together. I’ll never forget the

feeling when it came time in the show for the saloon selection for the evening, and Sinatra began tosing one of my favorite songs of all time, Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer’s “One for My Baby

(And One More for the Road),” performed in the classic Nelson Riddle arrangement. It was a

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miraculous, utterly heartbreaking performance—one not unlike the inspired version that closes the

Duets album. Listening to Sinatra sing the song so sublimely that night, I couldn’t help wondering

how one man could so completely bridge any generation gap. In retrospect, the answer to how he

did it should have been entirely obvious. He did it his way, of course. And now with Duets , Frank

Sinatra has done it his way, again.

DAVIDWILD

Senior Writer / Rolling Stone

September 7, 1993

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“...this man has the best timing andphrasing of any of ’em. And they’ll all

tell you that.”

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1. THE LADY IS A TRAMP Duet with Luther Vandross Music by Richard Rodgers

Lyric by Lorenz Hart

Arranged by: Bill Byers

Luther Vandross appears courtesy of Epic Records

2. WHAT NOW MY LOVE Duet with Aretha Franklin Music by Gilbert Becaud

English Lyric by Carl Sigman

Original French Lyric by Pierre Delanoe

Arranged by Don Costa

Introduction Arranged by Patrick Williams

Aretha Franklin appears courtesy of Arista Records

3. I’VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU Duet with Barbra Streisand Produced by David Foster and Phil Ramone

Executive producer: Jay Landers

Music by George Gershwin

Lyric by Ira Gershwin

This Arrangement by Patrick Williams

Original Arrangement by Nelson Riddle

Barbra Streisand appears courtesy of Columbia Records

4. SUMMER WIND Duet with Julio Iglesias Produced by Phil Ramone

and Albert Hammond

Music by Henry Mayer

English Lyric by Johnny Mercer

Original German Lyric by Hans Bradtke Arranged by Nelson Riddle

Julio Iglesias appears courtesy of Sony MusicEntertainment (Holland) B.V.

5. COME RAIN OR COME SHINE Duet with Gloria Estefan Music by Harold Arlen

Lyric by Johnny Mercer


Gloria Estefan appears courtesy of Epic Records

6. NEW YORK, NEW YORK Duet with Tony Bennett Music by John Kander

Lyric by Fred Ebb

Arranged by Don CostaTony Bennett appears courtesy of Columbia Records

7. THEY CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME

Duet with Natalie Cole Produced by Phil Ramone and Andre Fischer

Music by George Gershwin



Original Arrangement by Neal Hefti

Natalie Cole appears courtesy of Elektra Entertainment

8. YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO YOUNG Duet with Charles Aznavour Music by Josef Myrow

Lyric by Mack Gordon

Arranged by Quincy Jones

9. GUESS I’LL HANG MY TEARSOUT TO DRY / IN THE WEESMALL HOURS OF THE MORNING

Duet with Carly Simon “Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry”

Music by Jule Styne

Lyric by Sammy Cahn

Arranged by Nelson Riddle

“...Wee Small Hours...” Music by David Mann

Lyric by Bob Hilliard

Carly Simon appears courtesy of Arista Records

10. I’VE GOT THE WORLDON A STRING

Duet with Liza Minnelli Music by Harold Arlen

Lyric by Ted Koehler


Liza Minnelli appears courtesy of Columbia Records

11. WITCHCRAFT Duet with Anita Baker Anita’s vocals produced by Tommy LiPuma

Music by Cy Coleman

Lyric by Carolyn Leigh


Introduction Arranged by Patrick Williams

Anita Baker appears courtesy of Elektra Entertainment

12. I’VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN Duet with Bono Music and Lyric by Cole Porter

Arranged by Nelson RiddleBono appears courtesy of Universal Island Records Limited

13. ALL THE WAY / ONE FOR MY BA BY(AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD)

Duet with Kenny G “All The Way” Music by James Van Heusen

Lyric by Sammy Cahn



“One For My Baby” Music by Harold Arlen



Kenny G appears courtesy of Arista Records

BONUS TRACKS

14. MY WAY Duet with Luciano Pavarotti

Music by Jacques Revaux & Claude François English Lyric by Paul Anka

Original French Lyric by Claude François& Gilles Thibault


Luciano Pavarotti appears courtesy of

Decca Record Company Limited

15. ONE FOR MY BABY(AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD)*Duet with Tom Scott

Music by Harold Arlen



Tom Scott appears courtesy of GRP Records

*previously unreleased

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Clara Cattaneo, Stefan Cattaneo, Buddy Childers, Anna Cruz at Travel 57, Debbi Datz-Pyle, David atDesign FX, Martin Derek, Alan Ellsworth, Brian Erlich, Frank Filipetti, Michael Frondelli, Lana Gates,The Germano Family, Jim Giddens, Lolly Grodner, Jay Healy, Lisa Jurkowski, Doug Katsaros, BunnyKoppleman, Gerri Kyhill, L SC Limosine, Ron Maida, Joe Malin, Paul Malin, Mazzola, Mike Medavoy,Brian Monahan, Chip Mullaney, Andy Musci, Altel Systems, Larry Musci, Charlie Paakkari, Joe Pavone,Lee Ann Paynter, Michael P owell, Karen Ramone, Sue Raney, Joseph B. Richardson, Bill Rogers, JayneRubin, Paula Salvatore, Maggie Sikkens, Frank Sinatra Jr., Delbi Smart, Mike Smith, Joseph Soldo, LarrySolters, Ted Spruill, Billy Stritch, Sylvia at Mark Allen Travel, Stephanie Tavares, Denny Thomas, ScottTurner, Lisa Vega, Susan Zekofsky, Patti Zimmitti

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALASTAIR SIBBALD AND THE CRL TEAM: Adam Philip, Derek Warner, FawadNackvi and Richard Clemow, for their enthusiastic support during the recording and mixing sessions

SAXOPHONES/WOODWINDS: Tom Scott, Lanny Morgan, Dick Mitchell, Gene Cipriano, Jack Nimitz,Bob Cooper

TRUMPETS: Frank Szabo, Bob O’Donnell Jr., Charlie Davis, Conte Candoli, Oscar Brashear, Rick Baptist,Warren Luening, Jerry Hey, Gary Grant

TROMBONES: Dick Nash, George Bohanon, Dick Hyde, George Roberts, Tommy Johnson, Lew McCreary,Charlie Loper

FRENCH HORNS: Jim Thatcher, Brian O’Connor, Steven Becknell

PIANO: Bill Miller

ADDITIONAL KEYBOARD: Michael Melvoin (“I’ve Got A Crush On You”)

RHYTHM BASS: Chuck Berghofer

GUITAR: Ron Anthony

DRUMS: Gregg Field

PERCUSSION: Emil Richards, Jerry Williams, Joe Porcaro

VIOLINS: Gerry Vinci, Ralph Morrison, Ann Koons, Rene Mandel, Patricia Aiken, Patricia Johnson,Harold Wolf, Harris Goldman, Michael Ferril, Jennifer Woodward, Irma Neumann, Karen Jones, KenYerke, Diane Halprin, Bette Byers, Joe Goodman, Bob Sanov, Don Palmer, Jay Rosen, Michael Markman,Assa Drori, Dixie Blackstone, Miran Kojian, Haim Strum, Rafael Rismik, Mari Botnick, Kwi-hee Shamban,Joy Lyle, Gordon Marron, Brian Leonard, Murray Adler

HARP: Dorothy Remsen, Gayle Levant

VIOLAS: Ken Burward-Hoy, Carole Mukogawa, Denyse Buffum, Rick Gerding, Robin Ross, Jim Ross,

Harry Shirinian Cynthia Morrow, Alan DeVaritch

CELLI: Gloria Strassner, Anne Karam, Earl Madison, Michael Mathews, Armen Ksadjikian, Nancy Stein-Ross, Christina Soule

BASSES: Arni Egilsson, Ann Atkinson, Buell Neidlinger, Margaret Storer

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MUSICAL DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR: Patrick Williams

RECORDED AND MIXED BY Al Schmitt

ADDITIONAL ENGINEERS: Carlos Alvarez, Paul Barrett, Niko Bolas, Bill Bookheim, Paul Cartledge,Don Hahn, Steve Harrison, Roy Hendrickson, Steve King, Darren Klein, Bruce Nazarian, Charlie Paakkari,Dave Reitzas, John Richards, Marco Saboia, Eric Schilling, Gerard Smereck, Ron Taylor, Larry Walsh

PRODUCTION COORDINATORS: Los Angeles – Susanne Marie Edgren and Chie Masumoto for HumbleHeart Music; New York – Jill Dell’Abate for Dell’Abate Productions

RECORDED AT Capitol Studios (Hollywood), Conway Studios (L.A.), Crescent Moon Studios (Miami),The Hit Factory (N.Y.C.), Impressao Digital Studios (Rio de Janeiro), Joe & Co. (Music Ltd., London),Signet Sound (L.A.), Soundtrack Studios (Boston), S.T.S. (Dublin), Todd-AO Studios (Studio City), VanguardStudios (Detroit), Westlake Studios (L.A.)

ASSISTANT ENGINEERS: Andy Blakelock, Bryan Carrigan, Ian Craigie, Peter Doell, Carl Glanville, RobertHart, Ben Keys, Sebastian Krys, Willie Mannion, David Marquette, Mike Mazzetti, Greg Mull, Neil Perry,Gustavo Pinto, Andy Smith, Brian Soucy, Rick Southern, Jay Sylvester, Angel Vidal, Tom Young

MIXED AT Hit Factory N.Y.C. | MIX ASSISTANT: Carl Glanville

MASTERED BY Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, N.Y.C., using Sony Classical 20-bit technology, and Doug Saxat The Mastering Lab, L.A.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANTS: Jeff Minnich, Hanson Hsu, Mark Onks, Bob Schwall, Richie Boisits

ASSISTANT TO MR. RAMONE: Claudia Koal | MR. SINATRA’S PIANIST: Bill Miller

ORCHESTRA MANAGER: Eddie Karam | MUSIC PREPARATION: Terry Woodson and Daniel Perito

ADDITIONAL MUSIC PERFORMED BY Charles Pollard

MR. SINATRA WOULD LIKE TO THANK: Barbara Sinatra, Sinatra Enterprises, Scoop Marketing

MUSICIANS FOR ALL S ONGS EXCEPT “I’VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU” Rhythm Bass: Chuck Berghofer; Guitar: Ron Anthony; Drums: Gregg Field

MUSICIANS FOR “I’VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU” Piano: Michael Melvoin; Bass: Dave Stone; Guitar: Paul Viapiano; Drums: Jeff Hamilton

ALL THE MUSICIANS WHO GAVE OF THEIR TALENT, TIME AND EFFORTIN THE MAKING OF THIS ALBUM.

SPECIAL THANKS: Terri Santisi, Tommy Mottola, Clive Davis, Bob Krasnow, Alan Grubman, Don Ienner,

Dave Glew, Gary Gersh, Jay Landers, Marty Erlichman, P aul McGuinness, Emilio Estefan, Shep Gordon,Sherwin Bash, Dan Cleary, Dick Alen, Arlene Rothberg, Dennis Turner, Levon Sayon, David Simoné, DonFriedman, Joe Brenner, James Goodkind, Rebel Roy Steiner

THE PRODUCERS WOULD LIKE TO THANK: Audio Affects, Curt Anderson, Brian Avnet, Tom Bähler,Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Susan Boyd, Brian Brown, Steve Burdick, Vinnie Carbone, Betty Carpenter,


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ven now he watches the dawn. He has broken more

dawns than most mortals. Those hours belong to him. “Look at the

colors!” he will say, even now, pointing a bleary friend toward the

horizon. “What kind of blue would you call that?” he will ask, full

of wonder. He is a poet and this is what a poet does. He sleeps only

when he is ready, knowing he will preside over dawns for as long as

dawns will break. That is his legacy.

The nights are also his, always were. He teaches at night. He is there for anyone who wants to learn

life. Once—and only because somebody asked—he said, “I think my real ambition is to pass on to

others what I know. You know it took me a long, long time to learn what I now know, and I don’t

want that to die with me. I’d like to pass that on to younger people.” What he knows he has sung,

and what he has sung is wisdom, the hard and timeless stuff that gets you through the night, that

which no book contains. (For instance, it is only through his work that men understand women

and women understand men, if but for the duration of one song at a time.) He remains young in

order to teach us old lessons, lessons-learned-rough. He fights on the side of youth, availing

himself to each new generation, there when we need him, there when we are ready for him. He is

always ready for us. For seven decades of singing, of learning, of teaching, he has been r eady for us.

We are his legacy.

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Further proof, new evidence, these duets, more duets: songs and alliances, worlds not colliding so

much as embracing, there but for the grace of Sinatra. Because he is not presumptuous, he wondered

at first why anyone would want to sing his songs with him. Because humanity is presumptuous, we

know well that we have all sung with him. (Somewhere, at this moment, it is happening again.) Last

summer, in Dodger Stadium, with the world watching, three tenors—the gods of all tenors—sang

“My Way” their way, directly to one man, the man, who sat down-front, his way, listening, eyes

glistening. Afterward, they blew him kisses. He stood and the world roared.

“Rock and roll people love Frank Sinatra,” said Bono, on another night, “because Frank Sinatra has

got what we want—swagger and attitude.” This was Grammy ® night at Radio City, a palace only one

man can render intimate as a saloon. (Such is the power of swagger.) Bono, a duet partner of the

previous season, shared further that which was under his skin, explaining to contemporaries the

importance of being Frank (“This singer who makes other men poets, boxing clever with every word,

talking like America...”). Bono presented the rare Legend Award to the Legend himself, who reallywanted no other honor that night but to sing. “You mean I don’t have to sing?” he said backstage.

“Can’t I do just one for them?” Here was Zeus, fresh from Olympus, offering to sing for his supper,

as always preferring to give than to get. Humbled, he simply spoke: “I hope we do this again from

time to time,” he told all present out front. “That I get to see you and get to know some of you is

important to me, very important.” Also he said, “I’m not leaving you yet.”

He has never left, not really, not for long. And now the end is nowhere near. Born December 12, 1915,

Francis Albert Sinatra has work to do. Because a Chairman’s work is never done. He must be Frank

because no one else can be, will be. Forever he has played solitaire, in public, onstage, in studios.

Nowadays he hosts duets, these duets, and his guests approach timidly at first, but are at once

welcomed warmly. Still, they jitter: “Phil, he’s never heard of me,” said Luther Vandross last time

around, incredulous upon getting the call. “Of course he has,” said Phil Ramone, Duets producer.

“He listens, he knows.” It is said that Tony Bennett giggled before his turn at bat, and ArethaFranklin swooned. This time, Patti LaBelle asked for a glass of wine to calm herself, assured that FS

would approve. Thus, history mixes the second time around, and new and different flavors emerge.

If Part One was event and spectacle, Part Two is document and chronicle. The pairings bode

sentiment, importance, nice surprise: “Francis, let’s fly!” beckons old friend Antonio Carlos Jobim,

down from the mountain, back at the lunar launchpad for “Fly Me to the Moon.” (Exactly twenty-

five years ago, Neil Armstrong carried the tune aboard Apollo XI, blaring Sinatra in space. Said the

singer shortly thereafter: “I watched three men fly to the moon and imagine their surprise when they

found out I was there two nights ahead of them!”) There are other unions and reunions, swinging

fierce or murmuring low—fine and disparate company kept with Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder,

Gladys Knight, Linda Ronstadt, Lorrie Morgan, Jimmy Buffett. With elegant Lena Horne, fragile

winter love is hereafter made eternal (“Embraceable You”). With Chrissie Hynde, the dice are blown

with formidable sass (“Luck Be a Lady”). In Chicago, father meets son, miraculously, for sweet home

posterity (“My Kind of Town”). Steve and Eydie, Lawrence and Gorme, pave a stunning, skitting

path fit only for one seasoned traveler, whom they know as few others do (“Where or When”). Latin

boy-wonders Jon Secada and Luis Miguel get lessons in manhood, in separate helpings, by dint of the

Hoboken boy-wonder emeritus (“The Best Is Yet to Come” and “Come Fly with Me”). And thenthere is Neil Diamond sharing the heroic drama of American dreams, never sung more poignantly or

with greater resonance than right here, right now (“The House I Live In”).

In from the desert, in from the r oad, he is back in the studio, back in the music, down deep inside,

deeper than ever, flexing the reed, telling the truth, wiser than ever. “The reed feels alright tonight,”

he will say. Then: “Shoot!” he will say, whereupon his friends, the musicians, begin at once, as in

immediately. You do not wait for him and he does wait for you and that is how business is done. “You

got it?” he says afterward, not a question really, for he is famously a man of few takes, especially

when one take will suffice to make history. Further, he does not go back to fix a note here, a phrase

there: it is, as they say, all or nothing at all. For him, a song is not a sum of parts, but a living whole.

And a life must be full, like his own, not fragmented, never isolated. “What’s next?” he will then say,

not a question really.

For every rule he makes, he breaks ten, even now. Back in Hollywood, back at Capitol, Studios ‘A’

and ‘B’, where it happened then, and it happens again now, right now, he stands firm, smack in the


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middle of his players, so that he feels them just as they feel him, begetting raucous energy unheard

in this segregated age of pristine production. He does not hide behind a glass booth, for he is not

supposed to be contained. He is to be experienced, up close. He sets his own tempo, tapping trigger

finger against thigh, in full view of his conductor, Pat Williams, who conducts and cooks

accordingly. In this fashion, the night moves briskly and life lessons are recorded, as put forth by the

prizefighter who holds all the secrets. “How was that?” he will say, knowing exactly what he has

wrought, not waiting for an answer. Ol’ blue orbs twinkling, heart soaring in kind, he pronounces,

“If you don’t like that, you don’t like ice cream!”

Then: “Next!” And another generation gets smarter.

BILL ZEHME

Senior Writer / Esquire

October 5, 1994


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“Sinatra walks into a room and

the whole thing changes...”


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1. FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE Duet with Gladys Knight

and Stevie Wonder Piano, Harmonica and Vocal Intro Ad Lib

by Stevie Wonder

Music by Orlando Murden

Lyric by Ronald Miller


Gladys Knight appears courtesy of MCA Records

Stevie Wonder appears courtesy of Motown Records

2. COME FLY WITH ME Duet with Luis Miguel Vocal Produced by Jose Quintana

and Kiko Cibrian

Music by James Van Heusen

Lyric by Sammy Cahn Arranged by Billy May

Luis Miguel appears courtesy of Warner Music Mexico

3. BEWITCHED Duet with Patti LaBelle Music by Richard Rodgers




Patti LaBelle appears courtesy of MCA Records

4. THE BEST IS YET TO COME Duet with Jon Secada Music by Cy Coleman

Lyric by Carolyn Leigh

Arranged by Quincy Jones

Jon Secada appears courtesy of Capitol Records, LLC

5. MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT Duet with Linda Ronstadt Music by Karl Suessdorf

Lyric by John Blackburn


Original Arrangement by Billy May

Linda Ronstadt appears courtesy of Elektra Records

6. FLY ME TO THE MOON Duet with Antonio Carlos Jobim Intro performed by Antonio Carlos Jobim,

Paolo Jobim, Juanito Marquez, Edwin Bonilla,Jorge Casas and Ed Calle

Background Vocals: Rita Quintero,Jorge Noriega

Music & Lyric by Bart Howard

Arranged by Quincy Jones and Patrick WilliamsAntonio Carlos Jobim appears courtesy of EMI Brazil

7. LUCK BE A LADY Duet with Chrissie Hynde

Trumpet Solo: Arturo Sandoval

Music & Lyric by Frank Loesser

Arranged by Billy MayChrissie Hynde appears courtesy of Sire Records

Arturo Sandoval appears courtesy of GRP Records

8. A FOGGY DAY Duet with Willie Nelson Music by George Gershwin


Arranged by Johnny Mandel

Willie Nelson appears courtesy of Capitol Records, LLC

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D U E T S I I

9. WHERE OR WHEN Duet with Steve Lawrence

and Eydie Gorme Piano: Terry Trotter

Additional Keyboards: Clay Ostwald

Music by Richard Rodgers


Arranged by Bill Byers

10. EMBRACEABLE YOU Duet with Lena Horne Music by George Gershwin



Lena Horne appears courtesy of Blue Note Records

11. MACK THE KNIFE Duet with Jimmy Buffett Music by Kurt Weill

English Lyric by Marc Blitzstein

Original German Lyric by Bertolt Brecht

Arranged by Frank Foster and Patrick Williams

Jimmy Buffett appears courtesy of MCA Records

12. HOW DO YOU KEEP THE MUSICPLAYING? /MY FUNNY VALENTINE

Duet with Lorrie Morgan “How Do You Keep The Music Playing?”

Music by Michel Legrand

Lyric by Alan & Marilyn Bergman

“My Funny Valentine”

Music by Richard Rodgers

Lyric by Lorenz Hart This Arrangement by Patrick Williams

Original Arrangement by Nelson RiddleLorrie Morgan appears courtesy of BNA Records

13. MY KIND OF TOWN Duet with Frank Sinatra, Jr. Music by James Van Heusen

Lyric by Sammy Cahn


14. THE HOUSE I LIVE IN(THAT’S AMERICA TO ME)

Duet with Neil Diamond Music by Earl Robinson

Lyric by Lewis Allen


Vocal Arrangement by Tom Hensleyand Alan Lindgren

Neil Diamond appears courtesy of Columbia Records

BONUS TRACKS15. MY WAY Duet with Willie Nelson Music by Jacques Revaux & Claude François

English Lyric by Paul Anka

Original French Lyric by Claude François& Gilles Thibault

Arranged by Don CostaWillie Nelson appears courtesy of Capitol Records, LLC

16. EMBRACEABLE YOU* Duet with Tanya Tucker Music by George Gershwin



Tanya Tucker appears courtesy of Capitol Records, LLC

17. FLY ME TO THE MOON Duet with George Strait Music & Lyric by Bart Howard

Arranged by Quincy Jones and Patrick Williams

George Strait appears courtesy of MCA Records

*previously unreleased


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MUSICAL DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR: Patrick Williams

ENGINEERING (LOS ANGELES): Al Schmitt

ENGINEERING (NEW YORK): Ed Rak

MIXED BY Eric Schilling

ADDITIONAL ENGINEERS: John Aquilino, Bernie Becker, Paul Cartledge, Bill Cavanaugh, MichaelCouzzi, T-Bone Demmar, Charles Dye, Geraldo Fernandes de Souza, Jr., Carl Glanville, Larry Greenhill,Don Hahn, R.R. Harlan, Jay Healy, George Massenburg, Paul McKenna, Csabe Petocz, Charlie Paakkari,John Patterson, Scott Perry, Dave Reitzas, Eric Schilling, Rick Southern, Ted Stein, Ron Taylor, LarryWalsh, Frank Wolf, Tom Young

PRODUCTION COORDINATORS: New York – Jill Dell’Abate; Los Angeles – Susanne Marie Edgren andChie Masumoto for Humbleheart Music

RECORDED AT Capitol Studios (Hollywood), Clinton Recording Studio (NYC), Crescent Moon Studios(Miami), The Hit Factory (NYC), Right Track Studios (NYC), The Shire (Bedford, NY), Pedernales Studios(Austin), The Site Recording (San Rafael, CA), Masterfonics (Nashville), Polygram Studios (Mexico City),Joe & Co. (London), Howard Schwartz Recording, Inc. ( NYC), Impressao Digital Studios (Rio de Janeiro),Westlake Studios (L.A.), Arch Angel (L.A.), Wonderland Studios (L.A.), Sun Song Studio (Las Vegas)

ASSISTANT ENGINEERS: Marcelo Anez, Craig Brock, Scott Canto, Bryan Carrigan, Jim Caruana, SeanChanbers, Peter Doell, Robert Freidrich, Carl Glanville, Troy Halderson, David Hall, Sebastian Drys, MikeMazzetti, Francisco Miranda, Todd Mobley, Jennifer Monnar, Marcelo Moura, Scott Perry, Mary Ralson,Damian Rodriguez, Kevin Scott, Andy Smith, Bill Smith, Chris Wiggins

MIXED AT Crescent Moon Studios (Miami)

MASTERED BY Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, N.Y.C.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANTS: Jeff Minnich, Tom Ketterer, Michael Guerra, Denny Thomas, Jim Giddens,Dave Allen, Scott Lechner, Roger Deller, Matt Ianiello, John Hechtman, Bucky Meadows

MR. SINATRA’S PIANIST: Bill Miller

ORCHESTRA MANAGER: Joe Soldo, Los Angeles; Joe Malin, New York

MUSIC PREPARATION: Terry Woodson and Clyde Hoggan

ADDITIONAL MUSIC PERFORMED BY Charles Pollard

MR. SINATRA WOULD LIKE TO THANK: Barbara Sinatra, Robert Marx, Sinatra Enterprises,Scoop Marketing, Premier Artists Services

MUSICIANS: Rhythm Bass: Chuck Berghofer, Guitar: Ron Anthony, Drums: Gregg FieldSPECIAL THANKS: Peter Asher, Joe Brenner, San Cole, Gail Colson, Armstead Edwards, Emilio Estefan,Don Friedman, Sandy Gallin, Gary Gersh, Alan Grubman, Mark Janicello, Paolo Jobim, Joel Katz, BlossetteKitson-Elliott, Peter Lopez, Bruce Lundvall, J.P. Mello, Jim Morey, Jimmy Newman, Mark Rothbaum, TerriSantisi, Sherman Sneed, Johanan Vigoda, Erv Woolsey and Alliance Entertainment Corp.


31

THE PRODUCERS WOULD LIKE TO THANK: Altel Systems, Donna Allen, Stephanie Andrews, JerryBassen, Joe Biancho, Steve Burdick, Brian Brown, Vinnie Carbone, Clara Cattaneo, Stefan Cattaneo, JillDell’Abate, Design FX, Rory Dodd, Susanne Marie Edgren, Joy Francis, Michael Frondelli, The GermanoFamily, Louise Glover, Vine Joubert, L isa Jurkowski, Doug Katsaros, Melissa Katz, Claudia Koal, BunnyKoppleman, Gerri Kyhill, Mark Levinson, Roger Loria, Sid Mark, Rob Mathes, Chie Masumoto, LarryMusci, Oakdale Post Audio (Las Vegas), Charlie Paakkari, Pete Papageorges, Lee Ann Paynter, BillyPechenik, Sue Raney, Tony Renaud, John Richardson, Ani Rodriquez-Alzare, Karen Ramone, Jayne Rubin,Paula Salvatore, Karen Schwedler, Maggi Sikkens, Larry Solters, Sally Stevens, Stephanie Tavares, JonnaTerrasi, Dorothy Uhlemann, Lisa Vega, Roy Weisman, Dick Williams, Susan Zekofsky

DUETS & DUETS II ORIGINAL CREDITS

PRODUCED BY: Phil Ramone

CO-PRODUCED BY: Hank Cattaneo

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Charles Koppelman, Don Rubin and Eliot Weisman

COVER PAINTINGS: LeRoy Neiman | ART DIRECTION: Tommy Steele

DESIGN: DZN: N Ung and J Cohen | ILLUSTRATIONS AND SINATRA SCRIPT DESIGN: Andy Engel

Duets originally released in 1993 on Capitol as 07777-89611-2-3Duets II originally released in 1994 on Capitol as 72438-28103-2-2

Duets II: All tracks p 1994 Capitol Records, LLC, except track 15p 2005 Capitol Records, LLC

REISSUE CREDITS

REISSUE PRODUCER: Charles Pignone | A&R SUPERVISION: Frank Collura | MASTERING: Larry Walsh

REISSUE ART DIRECTION: Vartan | REISSUE DESIGN: Andy Engel

PRODUCTION MANAGER: Ute Friesleben | PRODUCT MANAGER: Liuba Shapiro

PHOTOS:c Capitol Photo Archives except page 17 by Harry Langdon

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Hank Cattaneo, Robert Finkelstein,Tina Sinatra, Bill Zehme, Max Hole, KevinGore, Andrew Kronfeld, Andrew Daw, Steffan Hughes, Bruce Resnikoff, John Ray, Jane Ventomand Barry Korkin

Dedicated to Phil Ramone.

g 2013 CAPITOL RECORDS, LLC. B0019451-02

The “Sinatra” trademark, “Frank Sinatra Enterprises” logo and “Sinatra Signature” logo

are trademarks of Frank Sinatra Enterprises LLC and are used by Universal Music Enterprises,

a division of UMG Recordings, Inc. under a license from Frank Sinatra Enterprises LLC.

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“...I am delighted the wonderful

music we’ve championed through the

years endures.”


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franksinatra.com universalmusicenterprises.compc 2013 Capitol Records, LLC, 1750 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028 – U.S.A. Distributed by Universal Music Distribution. All Rights Reserved. B0019451-02

c

D U E T S

1. THE LADY IS A TRAMP Duet with Luther Vandross 2. WHAT NOW MY LOVE Duet with Aretha Franklin 3. I’VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU Duet with Barbra Streisand 4. SUMMER WIND Duet with Julio Iglesias 5. COME RAIN OR COME SHINE Duet with Gloria Estefan 6. NEW YORK, NEW YORK Duet with Tony Bennett 7. THEY CAN’ T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME Duet with Natalie Cole

8. YOU MAKE ME FEE L S O Y OUN G Duet with Charles Aznavour 9. GUESS I’LL HANG MY TEARS OUT TO DRY / IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS OF THE MORNING

Duet with Carly Simon 10. I’VE GOT THE WORLD ON A STRING Duet with Liza Minnelli 11. WIT CHC RAF T Duet with Anita Baker 12. I’VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN Duet with Bono 13. ALL THE WAY / ONE FOR MY BAB Y (AN D O NE MORE FOR THE ROAD ) Duet with Kenny G BONUS TRACKS

14. MY WAY Duet with Luciano Pavarotti 15. ONE FOR MY BABY (AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD)* Duet with Tom Scott

D U E T S I I

1. FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE Duet with Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder 2. COME FLY WITH ME Duet with Luis Miguel 3. BEWITCHED Duet with Patti LaBelle 4. THE BEST IS YET TO COME Duet with Jon Secada 5. MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT Duet with Linda Ronstadt 6. FLY ME TO THE MOON Duet with Antonio Carlos Jobim 7. LUCK BE A LADY Duet with Chrissie Hynde 8. A FOGG Y DAY Duet with Willie Nelson 9. WHE RE OR WHE N Duet with Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme 10. EMBRACEABLE YOU Duet with Lena Horne

11. MACK THE KNIFE Duet with Jimmy Buffett 12. HOW DO YOU KEEP THE MUSIC PLAYING? / MY FUNNY VALENTINE Duet with Lorrie Morgan 13. MY KIND OF TOWN Duet with Frank Sinatra, Jr.14. THE HOUSE I LIVE IN (THAT’S AMERICA TO ME) Duet with Neil Diamond

BONUS TRACKS

15. MY WAY Duet with Willie Nelson 16. EMBRACEABLE YOU* Duet with Tanya Tucker 17. FLY ME TO THE MOON Duet with George Strait *previously unreleased

digital booklet - duets (20th annive

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