![Frank Sinatra - A Man and His Music + Ella + Jobim [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ki1QxXt8L._SX300_SY300_QL70_ML2_.jpg)
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I don't know why I am such a Sinatra fan. His huge life, played out on a gigantic stage, was everything my life is not. He had the adulation of fans from his twenties to his death. He had, at least for a while, Ava Gardner and who knows what other of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. He and his "Rat Pack" had a grand time playing Vegas and other venues. He was pals with the Kennedys and was forgiven on the occasions when his ego and arrogance surfaced. And Sinatra still managed to father three kids to whom he was a very good father.
Sinatra was the only man who could have gotten away with singing "My Way" and actually have the bombastic lyrics not sound ridiculous. I should have envied him to the point of detestation. Instead I have two thirty-song playlists of his recordings that I never seem to tire of hearing, as well as several other albums.
I conclude that he must have received a special gift that gave him and his vocals a charisma that can't be denied. A true Pied Piper.
I was attracted to this edition of his "Man and His Music" TV specials in the 60s because I just happened to catch on Sirius radio's Sinatra channel the end of what surely must be the best recording of "The Lady is a Tramp" ever made. Frank and the great Ella Fitzgerald and the Nelson Riddle orchestra were swinging the song like it had never been swung before, with Frank and Ella throwing lyrics back and forth at each other with such joy that, in response to the audience, they did an encore of the last bridge and chorus.
I had to have it at (almost) any price. The entire 52 minute hour was very good. Sinatra in his solos got away with successfully singing "Old Man River," a song that I had thought should never be sung by anyone except a large black man with a trained operatic voice. The medley of four songs with the talented Antonio Carlos Jobim, which ended with "Girl From Ipanema" would have pleased me more if only it had gone on longer and included my favorite Sinatra/Jobim collaboration, "Corcovado." Frank and Ella closed the show exchanging solos and finally pairing on that Rodgers and Hart classic.
I have never been much of an audiophile, so the audio quality was fine for me. No flaw in the recording ever distracted me from my listening. The video was adequate for this type of show.
If you are a Sinatra fan, this makes a fine addition to your collection. Note that all four of the "Man and His Music" TV specials are now available in a boxed set of DVDs.
| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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DVD
March 9, 2016 "Please retry" | 1 | 1 | $15.99 | — |
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April 21, 2017 "Please retry" | — | — | $8.65 | $8.00 |
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