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The Rat Pack Villa Venice 1962

by: Brian

Publication date: 2020

Topics: jazz, pop music, vocal jazz, swing, showtunes, Broadway, sinatra, Rat Pack

Language: English

In 1962, at the behest (and by the wallet) of Sam Giancana, the Rat Pack played a series of gigs at Giancana's Villa Venice nightclub, located far outside Chicago. Their marquee names enabled Sam to entice high rollers to his Quonset hut casino outside the club.

The Rat Pack played a series of shows in the autumn, with tape rolling in mind to release the material through Frank's Reprise record label. But Ol' Blue Eyes shelved the material for the rest of his life, with it only coming to light through bootlegs or a few posthumous releases.

The gigs were dynamic, the crew had honed their banter-jokes pretty well. But not every night was perfect. Sometimes a bum note would be hit, sometimes Sinatra's awful sense of comic timing would hamstring a joke.

So what I did during the serious downtime that was 2020, I sifted through the various material and constructed what I think is the perfect Rat Pack gig. There are a few audio quality changes, but nothing too jarring. There is one omission - "Nancy With The Laughing Face". I'm sorry, in any of the various configurations, it falls flat, and the back and forth with the audience member is cloying. I also made a cover that I think is really cool.

So, light a Chesterfield, pour a few fingers of whiskey, and enjoy. Sources used - Live at The Villa Venice 1 and 2, Rat Pack: Members Edition, Rat Pack: Live & Swingin', and Live: The Summit.