Frank Sinatra Classics

What fascinates arranger Stefan Schwalgin most about the musical personality of Frank Sinatra is the fact that he was a true fan of orchestras. He always chose big ensembles of top-class musicians as accompaniment – not only big bands but also symphonic ensembles. He sang most of his roughly 1.300 recordings with these ensembles “live” in the studio rather than using the common method of recording vocals and instruments separately and combining them later. On top of that, Sinatra could afford to hire only the best arrangers for his productions, such as Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Don Costa or Quincy Jones, and he was farsighted enough to value the importance of high-quality arrangements.

That is why the names of the arrangers were placed on the front cover of most of his records beside his own name. The strong orchestral influence and his point of view make his music extremely attractive for instrumental adaptations.

As Sinatra was not author but interpreter of his songs, Stefan Schwalgin focuses in his medley “Frank Sinatra Classics” on Sinatra’s unique style and transfers both structure and character of his productions to the modern wind band – without any simplification or uncharacteristic elements.