Frank Sinatra & Duke Ellington “Francis A. & Edward K.”
Joe Hakim | Published on 4/22/2023
Frank Sinatra & Duke Ellington “Francis A. & Edward K.”
My album pick for May is Frank Sinatra & Duke Ellington “Francis A. & Edward K.” From the sultry, luxurious sound of the first track “Follow Me” to the punchy “All I Need is the Girl”, Duke’s band is a great accompaniment to Sinatra’s typical vocalizations. Duke’s band is so tight and articulate here and did I mention it includes no less than a 5 man saxophone section! The song selection is varied but typical Sinatra fare - some melancholy songs like Indian Summer (previously unrecorded by Sinatra) where the sax section is front and center, to the whimsical All I Need is the Girl, with the brass section in full swing. Yellow Days, delivered with Sinatra’s typical laid back style and with good interplay between the band and Frank is one of my favorite tracks on this album.
If you are like me and not the greatest Sinatra fan, I would still urge you to listen to this gem of an album - it will put you front and center of one of the greatest swing bands of yesteryear. If you can find a good vinyl pressing of this album, you will find it to be an example of the best recording and mastering art of the 60’s imo. This is by far one of my top reference albums as it has it all - perfect tonal balance, top to bottom. Add in incredible, dynamics and transient response, providing explosive punch on the brass, and superbly captured vocals and you will quickly understand why this stands out as one of my top reference recordings. This album has no discernible distortion and is relatively quiet on vinyl. Give it a spin and if you are at all a fan of this type of music, you will quickly appreciate this fantastic recording as I do.
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