Slouching Towards Birdland (Will Friedwald's SubStack)

1 week ago | willfriedwald.substack.com | Will Friedwald

Many thanks to Richard Cook, Cademon Smith, and a few others who came forward with more information- and the correct details - about this relatively newly-discovered footage. Richard:The full video popped up briefly online a few months back. Distributed as 1967-02-08, which matches the Sinatraphiles listing for that date below:1967 Kiel Opera House, St. Louis, MissouriFebruary 8, 1967Teamster Charity ShowSinatra, Dean Martin, Milton Berle, Connie FrancisSinatra segment:1. The Shadow of Your Smile2.

1 week ago | willfriedwald.substack.com | Will Friedwald

My great friend, that fine contemporary singer of jazz and standards based in Berlin, David Rose (not the composer!) shared this footage with me today. As of now, we don’t have any of the details - this concert performance, at this time, seems to be completely unknown in all of Sinatra lore.

2 weeks ago | willfriedwald.substack.com | Will Friedwald

My late father, Herb Friedwald (1935-1997) was a huge music buff. I mean that in multiple senses of the word: he was about 6’ 3”, which is an inch or so taller than I am. Here’s a photo of Herb in his college jock phase; the two great loves of his life were jazz and basketball. I never knew him when he looked like this. These being the days before phone cameras, I don’t think I have even one photo of my father and myself together.

2 weeks ago | willfriedwald.substack.com | Will Friedwald

Very special Thanks to the all knowing and all-wise Rob Waldman as well as three guys named Michael - Michael Lavine, Prof. Michael G. Garber, and Michael “Contentious” Kraus - for helping me to research and report this story. The collective group of hardcore music nerds that I call “The Frank Tank” (closely connected to “The Nat Pack”) is understandably all a-twitter over the brand new Seth MacFarlane album, Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements.

3 weeks ago | willfriedwald.substack.com | Will Friedwald

In 1966, Saturday morning cartoon mega-moguls Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera produced a one-hour TV musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland. Whatever the numerous flaws of Hanna-Barbera’s productions - the dozens if not hundreds of animated TV series, specials, and feature films—they always had good music, and hired top drawer composers and musical directors for songs and underscoring, as well as great voice actors and singers.