SINATRA: NEW YORK


On November 3rd, The Paley Center for Media held a premiere screening of a rare concert: previously unseen footage of Frank Sinatra performing live at Carnegie Hall on June 25, 1980. The film was followed by a panel discussion about Sinatra’s love affair with New York, featuring his son, Frank Sinatra, Jr.; Nat Hantoff, a Cultural Historian/Music Critic; George Kalinksy, the official photographer of Madison Square Garden; Charlie Pignone, President of Frank Sinatra Enterprises; and legendary dancer and choreographer, Twyla Tharp.

By Katerina Georgiou

Guests included Sinatra’s closest friends, among them veteran movie and television producer, Salvatore “Sonny” Grosso—the real life inspiration behind “The French Connection.” Also attending was Dino Pavlou, a former supper club owner and member of Sinatra’s inner circle, whom the crooner dubbed “The Greek.” Grosso produced several movies for Sinatra and is currently in pre-production on a screen adaptation of Pavlou’s memoir, detailing his longstanding friendships with Sinatra and actor Anthony Quinn.

The evening celebrated a small moment in the life of a giant, and the intimate film showcased Sinatra at his best—pitch perfect, charismatic and personable—a natural born performer, the likes of which has no parallel today.
With all due respect to the Yankees, no matter how many times one has heard “Theme from New York, New York,” nothing comes close to generating the electrifying momentum of Ol’ Blue Eyes performing the song on stage. That commanding and incomparable voice—cultivated to its highest expression—is akin to sampling nectar from the gods; it offers mere mortals a taste of immortality. There’s good reason no one earned the nickname “The Voice” more than Sinatra.

The memorable Carnegie Hall performance contained material from his landmark Trilogy album, with classics such as “Summer Me, Winter Me,” “I’ve Got The World on a String” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”

In total, seventy-one never-before-seen performances were recorded at iconic New York City venues between 1955 and 1990. All are memorialized in a new five-disc box set (4 CD’s/1 DVD) entitled, Sinatra: New York. Highlights include personal photos, notes and essays, as well as tributes from Martin Scorcese, Tony Bennet, Yogi Berra and Twyla Tharp.

So if you’re still searching for a holiday gift idea for the music lover in your life, look no further. Sinatra: New York is available at all retail outlets and at www.Sinatra.com.

©2009 NEOCORP MEDIA

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