[Marty]

CONCORD MUSIC GROUP APPLIES STATE-OF-THE-ART
21st-CENTURY TECHNOLOGY TO EARLY 1960S RECORDINGS
FOR REISSUE OF THE CONCERT SINATRA

ORIGINAL MASTERS REMASTERED FOR
THE FIRST TIME IN NEARLY 50 YEARS

Remixed recording recaptures Sinatra's timeless voice in
a set of classic Broadway tunes arranged by Nelson Riddle.

Release date: January 17, 2012

Press Release

Concord Records has seamlessly taken existing multi-channel recordings from the early 1960s and applied state-of-the-art, 21st-century digital technology for the reissue of The Concert Sinatra, one of the most technically ambitious and musically innovative recordings of Frank Sinatra’s career. Under license from Frank Sinatra Enterprises (FSE), the album is set for release on January 17, 2012.

This reissue represents a perfect marriage of technological and artistic innovation by harnessing the combined brilliance of Sinatra’s timeless voice, Nelson Riddle’s legendary arrangements, and some of the finest songs to emerge from the Broadway tradition. It all comes together via a recording process that was well ahead of its time in the 1960s, and has been further enhanced by modern-day digital remastering technology.

When The Concert Sinatra was recorded in February 1963, multi-track master tape machines were not yet a reality in the recording studio. In order to facilitate the sound mixing advantage of multiple channels of audio, The Concert Sinatra was recorded on a motion picture scoring stage with the use of multiple synchronized recording machines that employed 35mm magnetic film. This master recording has not been used in any re-release of The Concert Sinatra since the original sound mix was prepared nearly 50 years ago.

Producers located the original film canisters where the masters had been stored for nearly a half-century. Despite considerable degradation over time, a team of engineering experts, led by Frank Sinatra, Jr., used contemporary digital recording technology delivered a completely new sound mix for the 2012 re-release.

“What is the difference between performing a show ballad on the Broadway stage and performing it in a concert auditorium? Considerable. No better illustration could be found than this album,” according to the late Raymond V. Pepe, president of the Institute of High Fidelity who wrote a side note to the 1963 release of The Concert Sinatra. “The voice of Frank Sinatra, the arrangements of Nelson Riddle, the selection of material — all these we think we know. Even the combination of these elements contains no surprises. Or so we think. And then we listen and we hear a new Sinatra, set to some of the purest arrangements we have ever heard. And suddenly several well-known songs become not so well known at all.”

Frank Sinatra Jr., an accomplished singer and songwriter in his own right — and the conductor and musical director for his father in the later years of his career — contributes new liner notes and a personal perspective to the reissue of The Concert Sinatra. “If you have had this magnificent album in the past,” writes the younger Sinatra, “and compare the orchestral content of previous releases to this new rendering, you will undoubtedly notice the amount of music, originally recorded on the master film that was never present before. Listening to other parts of Nelson Riddle’s classic orchestrations, never before heard on record, was indeed an experience for me.”

TRACK LIST

• I Have Dreamed
  MY Heart Stood Still
  Lost in the Stars
  Ol’ Man River
  You’ll Never Walk Alone
  Bewitched
  This Nearly Was Mine
  Soliloquy

BONUS TRACKS (not on original LP):

• California
  America, The Beautiful

Catalogue No. CRE 33302
© Frank Sinatra Enterprises, LLC under license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
Release Date : 2012

[Nancy]

The Concert Sinatra is slated to be the next Concord release; not sure of the actual release date as it is fluid at this time - but it should be released in the first quarter of 2012.

[Dina]

Originally Posted by Nancy

The Concert Sinatra is slated to be the next Concord release

Wonderful!

[SinatraFan]

Excellent choice for the next CD.

[sschweiger]

Concord's re-mastered edition of this magnificent album will be well worth waiting for! Concord had the magic touch with Rosie Clooney, and they continue their great "roll" with Frank!

[davidoro]

I look forward to hearing this beautiful album remastered.

David

[Chris92]

Yay! More FS that I don't already have!

[jtsjc1]

I really can't wait for this one. The best of the best!

[Bob in Boston]

Originally Posted by Nancy

The Concert Sinatra is slated to be the next Concord release; not sure of the actual release date as it is fluid at this time - but it should be released in the first quarter of 2012.

The release date will be January 17, 2012.
Concord Records catalog no. is CRE-33302 (UPC #888072333024).
Early description indicates this will be "REMASTERED & EXPANDED."

Bob in Boston

[voice1]

One of his greatest works...looking forward to it. "Expanded" sounds promising.

[Markus]

I guess "expanded" means: +California & America the Beautiful. The 9 track/35mm would be a great new approach.

[Bob in Boston]

Originally Posted by Bob in Boston

Any chance the new Concord CD will be mixed from the 9-track 35mm mags (or copies of same)? Or will it just be remixed from the 3-track mixdowns that were used to source the original LP?

Originally Posted by Markus

The 9 track/35mm would be a great new approach.

Sorry, but it's been reported elsewhere that this will NOT be remixed from the original 35mm film multitracks. (I was just asking for confirmation in my previous post, but I expect it won't happen this time around.)

Bob in Boston

[David M Bond]

It will be interesting to hear how this sounds to the EOTC version as I guess they will use the same master.

Request:

Can we please have Sinatra's Sinatra this time around as a new Concord release, it didn't get an EOTC release and it is one of my favourite Reprise albums.

I know there are other possibly better albums but I like this one.

A digpak of A Man and His Music would also be nice.

[Greg Wayne]

Originally Posted by voice1

One of his greatest works...looking forward to it. "Expanded" sounds promising.

I couldn't agree more, Mr. Sinatra's vocals on this album are superb, he really poured his heart and soul into this project.

[ceruleus]

I must admit, this is one that's remained on my 'to listen' list. I know it's very much beloved by many folks here though, and if I can lay my hand on it I'll be picking it up.

[sschweiger]

Bob, when you have "Sherlock Holmesed" the "Expanded" part of the album's description, please let us know what you find! Take care & be well!

[Bob in Boston]

Stanley, One does not need to wear a deerstalker hat and cape. I'm sure we'll hear the details first from Nancy.

All of the Concord reissues have been "expanded" in one form or another (alternate takes, related session recordings, live performances). Since this album was relatively short to begin with (8 tracks; 31 minutes), there's plenty of room for bonuses.

Bob in Boston

[Chuck Granata]

In the string of messages posted "elsewhere" (see Bob's message above), Larry Walsh mentions that an engineer named 'Rocky' works at BlueWave, and is an expert in magnetic film transfers.

I'm certain that Larry is referring to a BRILLIANT vintage film transfer engineer, Rocky Reiger, who once worked at Chace Productions in Burbank. Didier Deutsch and I worked several times at Chace with Rocky: to transfer the original multi-track mag film elements for the soundtracks of The King and I and Oklahoma!, which we produced expanded and remixed versions of for EMI-Angel in 2000. Rocky also transferred a number of film elements for Frank Sinatra in Hollywood, including the multi-track film masters for Robin and the 7 Hoods.

You couldn't ask for a better man (or woman) to be working on mag film than Rocky!

[Jeffrey Simmons]

Originally Posted by Bob in Boston

Sorry, but it's been reported elsewhere that this will NOT be remixed from the original 35mm film multitracks. (I was just asking for confirmation in my previous post, but I expect it won't happen this time around.)

Bob in Boston

It seems a missed opportunity but if this is not to be remixed, then what will be the difference to the currently released CD versions?

Does your answer not conflict with what our dear expert Chuck Granata is saying subsequently? Surely Chuck knows!

[Bob in Boston]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Simmons

It seems a missed opportunity but if this is not to be remixed, then what will be the difference to the currently released CD versions?

I didn't say it would not be remixed, just that it will not be remixed from the 35mm magnetic films. This will be a new stereo remix from the "dry" (non-reverbed) 3-track tapes which were created (mixed down) from the original multi-track mags "back in the day."

Originally Posted by Jeffrey Simmons

Does your answer not conflict with what our dear expert Chuck Granata is saying subsequently? Surely Chuck knows!

Chuck hasn't said anything that refutes what I stated above. He merely commented on an old post by Larry Walsh here at the SFF (unrelated to this new Concord reissue). Read carefully Steve Hoffman's post in the external thread which I linked.

It's my understanding that the ONLY time the 35mm mag film sources have been used since 1963 was for the track "Bewitched" on Nothing but the Best, as described by Larry Wash and stated previously here by Nancy.

Bob in Boston