Tom Burlinson is a familiar face in Australian film and television but, when he was asked to provide the voice os Frank Sinatra for the mini-series, simply titled Sinatra, it opened another door in his career. Sinatra at the Sands takes us back to 1966 and the live recording that Sinatra made in the Copa Room with the Count Basie Orchestra, conducted by Quincy Jones, and using his arrangements. Burlinson was backed by a superb orchestra of local musicians, along with his own drummer, and with his musical director and conductor in the first trumpet chair.
The composers represented are a veritable Who's Who of songwriters and every song is a big hit. Sinatra's first commercially issued live recording, it is a great follow up to the 1962 studio album, Sinatra - Basie, one of my favourites. Working his way through this wonderful collection of songs, though, was only half of the performance, with yet more to come after the interval.
Burlinson opened with Come Fly With Me, and feet were already tapping before he was more than a couple of bars in to it. He made it clear from the start that he had no intention of trying to impersonate Sinatra, but would stay true to his interpretations and phrasing, which gave us the best of two worlds. Burlinson has a marvellous voice that suits Sinatra's music like a glove and, often, it is easy to hear Sinatra in his voice as well as his styling. This is no poor quality copy. Burlinson is a great singer and entertainer in his own right.
What followed was a commentary on that concert at The Sands, with some of Sinatra's own words, linking the stream of familiar and favourite numbers. I've Got You Under My Skin, One for My Baby, Luck be a Lady, Angel Eyes, My Kind of Town, Fly Me to the Moon, All of Me, The September of My Years, and more, the great numbers had everybody cheering. It was the Sinatra fans' idea of bliss.
The second half of the concert ranged over Sinatra's career, picking and choosing from the seemingly endless string of hits. From New York, New York, to My Way, it was solid gold music All the Way. The musicians were loving the opportunity to play those sensational arrangements, and Burlinson was loving the excellent playing by the orchestra. The audience loved everything.
Sinatra has gone, but his spirit lives on strongly in Tom Burlinson.
Here is a taste of what we enjoyed.
