Maps of Music

I Remember Tommy... (1961)

Where the lyrics of I Remember Tommy... take you, and where it was really made.

A 1961 album that honors bandleader Tommy Dorsey mostly with songs Frank Sinatra had first sung with Dorsey's own orchestra years earlier.

Key places

Recording at United Recorders (1961)

Recording site Ocean Way Recording — The album was recorded May 1–3, 1961, and the recording place is listed as United Recorders in Los Angeles. The point is shown at city-level accuracy. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• I Remember Tommy...: the 23rd studio album by Frank Sinatra
• Released in 1961
• A tribute to bandleader Tommy Dorsey
• Consists of re-recorded versions of songs Sinatra had first performed or recorded with Dorsey earlier in his career
• Fellow Dorsey alumnus Sy Oliver arranged and conducted the sessions

Background

• Of the twelve numbers on the album, Sinatra had recorded eleven with the Dorsey Orchestra
• The opening number, "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", was Dorsey's instrumental theme song
• Sy Oliver was a Dorsey arranger while Sinatra was with the band
• Oliver arranged three of the original recordings: "East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)", "Without a Song", and "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)"
• Axel Stordahl arranged the remaining numbers, except "I'll Be Seeing You", which Oliver arranged
• The album's track listing includes a reprise of "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" as its closing item

Recording

• Recorded in Los Angeles on May 1–3, 1961
• The recording place is listed as United Recorders
• "The One I Love" is the last vocal track, with a jaunty Oliver treatment in which Oliver sings counterpoint himself
• Personnel: Frank Sinatra on vocals; Sy Oliver as arranger and conductor

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Italian immigrants.
• Began singing professionally as a teenager with the Hoboken Four, winning Major Bowes Amateur Hour.
• Joined Harry James's band in 1939, then Tommy Dorsey's band, before going solo in 1942.

Career

• Signed with Columbia Records in 1943 and became a major star of the bobby-soxer era.
• Signed with Capitol Records in 1953; collaborated with arranger Nelson Riddle on albums such as In the Wee Small Hours and Songs for Swingin' Lovers!.
• Founded Reprise Records in 1960, releasing albums including September of My Years and the hit single "My Way".
• Won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for From Here to Eternity (1953).
• Estimated to have sold around 150 million records worldwide.
• Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997.
• Died May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Reviews of the album were mixed
• Some critics noted that it was a well-intended effort that paled in comparison to the original 1940s recordings
• Others saw it as a fresher, more contemporary session
• The high fidelity recording and crisp Sy Oliver arrangements were cited as strengths

Reappraisal

• A more mature Sinatra was said to complement the material
• He kept top control of his vocal abilities and offered smart interpretations
• The album is therefore judged both against the original 1940s recordings and on its own terms as a 1961 session
• The mixed response has continued to frame how the album is discussed

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The opening track, "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You", was Dorsey's instrumental theme song.
• Sy Oliver had been a Dorsey arranger when Sinatra sang with the band, and he arranged three of the original recordings.
• "The One I Love", the closing vocal track, features Oliver singing counterpoint with Sinatra.
• Eleven of the twelve numbers were first recorded by Sinatra with the Dorsey Orchestra.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact