[C.R.E.]

I love this album! It is my Friday album...always gives me a lift.

I would love to have been in the studio when they cut these tracks.

Yes, Riddle prooved once more his genius with this one... he had very little time to do all the arrangements, because everyone was hurrying at Reprise to get an album built around "Strangers" when the single rocketed. And Sinatra also managed to record all the nine additional songs in just two days (May 11 & 17) - wow.

Bernhard.

[C.R.E.]

That is really impressive. Hard to believe such fantastic work can be knocked out all in such a short period of time.

Does anyone know who the organist was on The Strangers In The Night album, featured on tracks like Summer Wind and All or Nothing at All? There seems very little information available regarding personnel on this album.

The organist was Artie Kane. It seems to be the only time he worked with Sinatra in the studio - what I don't know is whether he might also have been the organist for the 1966 TV special where FS also sang some selections accompanied by organ.

Here are the details for the album personnel of the "Strangers In The Night" sessions.

11.4.1966, 6-8 pm
Hollywood, United Recording
Session producer: Jimmy Bowen
Sound Engineer: Eddie Brackett
Orchestra conducted by Ernie Freeman:
Vincent de Rosa, Henry Sigismonti, Gale Robinson, Richard Perissi (french horn); Bill Green, Andreas Kostelas (flute); Sidney Sharp, Lennie Malarsky, William Kurasch, Ralph Schaeffer, Israel Baker, Arnold Belnick, Jerome Reisler, Robert Sushel, John De Voogdt, Bernard Kundell, Tibor Zelig, Gerald Vinci, William Weiss, James Getzoff, Harry Bluestone, Victor Arno (violin); Harry Hyams, Joseph Di Fiore, Darrel Terwilliger, Alex Neiman (viola); Joseph Saxon, Jesse Ehrlich, Emmet Sargeant, Armand Kaproff (violoncello); Bill Miller, Michel Rubini (piano); Alvin Casey, William Pitman, Glen Campbell, Tommy Tedesco (guitar); Chuck Berghofer (bass); Hal Blaine (drums); Eddie Brackett jr., Emil Richards (percussion)

Reprise Master # J 4195 (take ???) - Strangers In The Night
Arrangement by Ernie Freeman

11.5.1966, 8-11 pm
Hollywood, Western Recorders, Studio 1
Session producer: Sonny Burke
Sound engineer: Lee Herschberg
Orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle
Pete Candoli, Don Fagerquist, Cappy (=Carroll) Lewis, Ray Triscari (trumpet); Dick Noel, Tommy Pederson, Tom Shephard (trombone); George Roberts (bass trombone); Chuck Gentry, Bill Green, Justin Gordon, Harry Klee, Ronny Lang (saxophone, woodwinds); Victor Arno, Ralph Schaeffer, Paul Shure, Gerald Vinci (violin); Stanley Harris, Paul Robyn (viola); Justin di Tullio, Elizabeth Greenschpoon, Armand Kaproff (violoncello); Bill Miller (piano); Artie Kane (organ); Al Viola (guitar); Ralph Pena (bass); Irving Cottler (drums); Emil Richards (percussion).

J 4234 (take 5) - My Baby Just Cares For Me
J 4235 (take 4ic3) - Yes Sir That's My Baby
J 4236 (take 3) - You're Driving Me Crazy
J 4237 (take 7) - The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
All arrangements by Nelson Riddle


16.5.1966, 8-11 pm
Hollywood, Western Recorders, Studio 1
Session producer: Sonny Burke
Sound engineer: Lee Herschberg
Orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle:
Pete Candoli, Don Fagerquist, Cappy (=Carroll) Lewis, Ray Triscari (trumpet); Dick Noel, Tommy Pederson, Tom Shephard (trombone); George Roberts (bass trombone); Chuck Gentry, Bill Green, Justin Gordon, Harry Klee, Abe Most (saxophone, woodwinds); Victor Arno, Ralph Schaeffer, Paul Shure, Victor Bay, Israel Baker, Alex Beller, Hermann Clebanoff, James Getzoff, Anatol Kaminsky (violin); Barbara Simons, Paul Robyn (viola); Justin di Tullio, Elizabeth Greenschpoon, Armand Kaproff (violoncello); Bill Miller (piano); Artie Kane (organ); Al Viola (guitar); Ralph Pena (bass); Irving Cottler (drums); Victor Feldman (percussion)

J 4238 (take 7) - Summer Wind
J 4239 (take 5) - All Or Nothing At All
J 4240 (take 6) - Call Me
J 4241 (take 9) - On A Clear Day
J 4242 (take 4) - Downtown
All arrangements by Nelson Riddle.



Bernhard.

[JamesDeFrances]

<<Glen Campbell>>

Bernhard: Any relation to the country star of the same name?

James: It should be him. Campbell also played a guitar on a few other Sinatra recordings, particularly on "Something Stupid".

There are quite a few famous people in the list of personnel, some of course were Sinatra session stallwarts for decades. But also notice the appearance of world-famous clarinettist Abe Most.

Bernhard.

Remember when Glen Campbell was a huge mega star? He had his own TV show and had hit after hit on the radio. And where is he today..

[JamesDeFrances]

<<James: It should be him.>>

Wow! I never knew that.

Ahh, the Rhinestone Cowboy

<<And where is he today..>>

Well, the last time I heard he was in jail for a while on a drunk driving charge, but I know he is out now.

My grandparents saw him a while ago at a casino and they said he's still pretty good.

A small addition re the organ question, Artie Kane today is also known for his conducting several film scores, e.g. "Mars Attacks" (1996).

This is a fine LP from 1972 (RCA) he made with Henry Mancini.

Bernhard.

[JamesDeFrances]

<<This is a fine LP from 1972 (RCA) he made with Henry Mancini.>>

I wonder if that is on CD nowadays. I like the sound of a contemporary organ especially with standards.

[C.R.E.]

There is an awesome shot of the organist on the Man and His Music II special, where he is wearing these huge sunglasses while playing the organ....very much "de riguer" of the era!

[JamesDeFrances]

<<these huge sunglasses while playing the organ>>

I wonder how he saw the sheet music....lol

[C.R.E.]

HAHAHH!!!! Good point, James

As FS would say, those glasses were "coo coo crazy, baby" hahahah

[MMM]

It IS "that" Glen Campbell. Glen was a pretty big time session guitarist around that time.

[MMM]

Does anyone know when the picture of Frank on the cover of this album was taken, the exact date? I wonder if it was actually taken at any of the sessions for the songs on the album. Thanks in advance.

The cover photo is by Ed Thrasher, and I seem to recall that it was shot at one of the 'Moonlight Sinatra' sessions in November 1965? But I'm not sure right now.

Thrasher has I think given his entire FS photo collection to MPTV, if you make an archive search there perhaps you can find it (the photos there usually carry details re date and location).

Bernhard.

[MMM]

Thanks Bernhard!

[Karyn]

I have been listening to this album all afternoon (and Sinatra and Jobim all morning ) whilst at my desk, I love this album, it's Frank doing what he does best and like Marty says, it certainly lifts you, it has made my day doing paperwork far easier to bear. Best of all, it has my favourite - "Summer Wind"

Listening to the version of, "All or Nothing at All" I couldn't help but draw many paralles between the arrangement of this and the immortal Nelson Riddle arrangement of, "I've Got You From Under My Skin" in that both songs star off on a light enough tempo but as it enters the middle portion of the song with the orchestra taking over the song lifts very much like, "...Skin" would with it finally exploding. Mind you they sound very different but their construction seems to be the same at least in my opinion. Then again, I know nothing about music or music principals.