[Leigh Ann]

It was an interesting choice of songs and artists by Jamie Cullum. I was a little disappointed that he only included one Frank selection, but I think this show was more about jazz artists who have influenced his music. There were a couple of artists that were new to me, and it's always good to hear something new.

Thank you to all who keep this show going on Sirius.

Originally Posted by Leigh Ann

Jamie Cullum. I was a little disappointed that he only included one Frank selection, but I think this show was more about jazz artists who have influenced his music.

He played two Frank songs, but yes, that was much less FS than any previous Playing Favorites program. I appreciated his choices on their own merits, especially Lambert, Hendricks & Ross (who are probably unknown to those outside the ranks of jazz listeners).

[sschweiger]

Call it eclectic, catholic, a mixture -- whatever -- Jamie's show was an enjoyable look at TGAS through a jazz-influenced lens.

And while the Sinatras, Bennetts, & Tormes represent the Mt. Everests of the profession, it is important to hear The Blossom Dearies, Mark Murphys, Harry Connicks, and Jamie Cullums of the world because these talented musicians love & appreciate that music, and show this love & appreciation in their own unique way.

Great to hear "I like Myself," and "Not While I'm Around," as well as "Pennies from Heaven" and "If I Ruled the World."

From the Siriusly Sinatra web page:

Playing Favorites with Robert Osborne
Mon 4/5 6:00 pm ET

Movie expert Robert Osborne, well known for his hosting on Turner Classic Movies and his lifelong love affair with the world of entertainment, reminisces about growing up with the music of Frank and other great artists like Rosemary Clooney and Vic Damone on this week’s edition of Playing Favorites ... only on Siriusly Sinatra.

Rebroadcast: Thurs 4/8 9:00 am ET; Sat 4/10 3:00 pm ET

Show #97 — Robert Osborne: April 5–10, 2010

1. From Here to Eternity - Capitol 1953: This Is Sinatra!
2. Star! - Reprise 1968: Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2
3. Fred Astaire – Change Partners
4. Jack Jones – She Loves Me
5. Here's to the Band - Reprise 1983: The Reprise Collection
6. Style (with Bing Crosby & Dean Martin) - Reprise 1964: Robin and the 7 Hoods Soundtrack
7. Art Garfunkel – I Remember You
8. If I Loved You (with Shirley Jones) - Television 1958: Classic Duets
9. Vic Damone – Begin the Beguine
10. Rosemary Clooney – Give Me the Simple Life
11. The Brooklyn Bridge - Movie 1946: It Happened In Brooklyn
12. Michael Bublé – Save the Last Dance for Me
13. Peter Allen – The More I See You
14. Nice 'n' Easy - Capitol 1960: Nice 'n' Easy
15. Marilyn Maye – You're Gonna Hear from Me / Cabaret
16. Margaret Whiting – It Might As Well Be Spring
17. (Theme from) New York, New York - Reprise 1979: Trilogy: The Present

[Nancy]

I'm excited about this one.

[dominique15]

I'm really looking forward to this one too.

Reminder bump: Robert Osborne's program is coming up. I'll be doing the song listing for this one in real time.

[Nancy]

Thanks, Bob.

[Nancy]

Bob Osbourne's voice is so distinctive and mellow it's a pleasure to listen to him.

[sschweiger]

Mr. Osborne is one of the special 'class acts' in the world of entertainment! His "Playing Favorites" was wonderful! It's as if he had read my mind about many of MY favorites! From "FHTE" & "Star" thru Astaire, "Style," & Peter Allen to Margaret Whiting to "NY,NY" -- a show to treasure!

Memo to SFFers: If you've never read his Oscar book, you're missing a terrifically entertaining reading experience!

From the Siriusly Sinatra web page:

Playing Favorites with David Gray
Mon 4/12 6:00 pm ET

British singer-songwriter David Gray hit the charts 10 years ago and continues to sell out concerts around the world with his intimate delivery and poignant lyrics. But what we didn’t know was that he is a student of Frank’s music and style. Listen to this hour of terrific songs and commentary as David Gray sits down at the Playing Favorites microphone ... only on Siriusly Sinatra (1 hr)

Rebroadcast: Thurs 4/15 9:00 am ET; Sat 4/17 3:00 pm ET

Show #98 — David Gray: April 12–17, 2010

1. Come Fly with Me (with Count Basie; intro by William Conrad) - Live 1966: Sinatra at the Sands
2. Only the Lonely - Capitol 1958: Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely
3. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) - Reprise 1967: Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
4. I Get a Kick Out of You - Reprise 1962: Sinatra and Swingin' Brass
5. I've Got You Under My Skin (with Count Basie) - Live 1966: Sinatra at the Sands
6. One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) - Capitol 1958: Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely
7. Meditation (Meditação) - Reprise 1967: Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim
8. Fly Me to the Moon (with Count Basie) - Live 1966: Sinatra at the Sands
9. You Make Me Feel So Young (with Count Basie) - Live 1966: Sinatra at the Sands
10. Moon River - Reprise 1964: Academy Award Winners
11. Johnny Hartman & John Coltrane – They Say It's Wonderful
12. Chet Baker – I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)

[Mark Blackburn]

“Two drifters off to ‘see the world’ – there’s such a lot of world to see!”

Those are my favorite words from Johnny Mercer’s second (of two, consecutive Mercer & Mancini) “Best Song” Oscar winners – "Moon River." I’d been thinking only last night while listening to that one (my favorite track from Frank Sinatra’s Academy Award-winning songs album) that we’re so familiar with that song, it’s easy to no longer actually hear the poignant words that Johnny composed to that lovely melody by Hank Mancini.

“ . . . we’re after the same ‘rainbow’s end’ . . . waitin’ ‘round the bend – my ‘huckleberry friend’ – moon river . . . and me.”

Looking at the words on the page – they convey none of the emotion that Frank Sinatra captured better than anyone else, in his delightful rendition – my favorite of Nelson Riddle’s arrangements for that album – featuring, as it did, one of my favorite ‘acoustic’ (gut-string) guitarists, Brazil’s Laurindo Almeida to play those lovely, opening and closing obligatos.

Imagine my delight in hearing someone I’d not heard of – “David Gray” (an English singer-songwriter, it turns out, young enough to be my son) introducing Moon River as the final selection Sinatra selection for his “Playing Favorites” show this day.

Just before playing the song, David Gray said, “I couldn’t close this Sinatra segment, without a little nod to my father, Peter Gray [who] really started ‘the Sinatra thing’ for me.

“When he passed away, we threw a huge party for [my Dad] and all his friends came; one of them stood up to sing, a capella -- MOON RIVER . . .

[As David Gray’s voice is suddenly choked with emotion at the memory, he admits]

“I don’t really listen to it any more [silent pause]. “But I’d never really HEARD the lyric before [that moment]. Everybody knows the song but I’d never sensed the depth of the metaphors that were used in it.”

Minutes earlier, commenting on Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim’s magnificent “Meditation,” David Gray said:

“There’s a certain ‘patina’ to his performances, where the emotion comes through . . . there’s a poignancy . . . they’re beautifully delicate creations . . . all credit to the [English] translator and the arranger Claus Ogerman; it’s so perfectly done . . . and the percussion side of it – so underplayed yet so effective!

“Listening to all this music, and the sensitivity of it, the emotion of it – it’s amazing to contemplate – in what was a relatively short period of time – how attitudes to love and desire [were different] it was the sort of tactful ‘cutaway’ -- in lyrics and music and films -- rather than ‘full-frontal nudity’ . . . at the point where Frank was working, it's understatement [which] somehow makes it that much more powerful. [Though] Frank was obviously a macho sort of guy in his own way, he had to incorporate a lot of emotion . . . . feelings of swooning after some woman, dreaming after some time, or lost in a reverie somewhere – things you just don’t hear about any more! It’s amazing to contemplate what a different world it was – and that is part of the appeal of this stuff.”

Not quite so articulate perhaps as the preceding host Robert Osborne -- the most articulate, erudite and fun-to-listen-to, host of ‘PLAYING FAVORITES’ that we have heard to date (I say).

But good thoughts, nonetheless, from a young English singer/songwriter (b 1968) many of us hadn’t heard of (though we may have heard his own music). A quick online search reveals that one of David Gray’s compositions “a presumed new song, ‘A Moment Changes Everything’ was played during the UK highlights of the 3rd round of the 2010 Masters Tournament” [and that] one of his songs ‘Sail Away’ was featured in the (2001) Robert De Niro movie, ‘15 MINUTES.’

Just had to come here and say “Good show, young man.” (Hope to enjoy in its entirety on the next re-play.]

From the Siriusly Sinatra web page:

Playing Favorites with Peter Weller
Mon 4/19 6:00 pm ET

Actor Peter Weller is best known for his iconic on-screen performances. What we didn’t realize is what a journeyman he is. Just some of his credentials: an expert in Italian art history, a dancer, a trumpet player, a world traveler and a jazz fanatic ... He brings his knowledge and passion for interpretation and style to our microphone this week as he picks out wonderful music featuring Count Basie, Chet Baker and, of course, a healthy dose of Frank. Enjoy the eloquence of this great guest ... only on Siriusly Sinatra (1 hr)

Rebroadcast: Thurs 4/22 9:00 am ET; Sat 4/24 3:00 pm ET

Show #99 — Peter Weller: April 19–24, 2010

1. Count Basie & His Orchestra – Blues Backstage
2. One for My Baby (with Count Basie Orchestra) - Live 1966: Sinatra at the Sands
3. I Won't Dance (with Count Basie Orchestra) - Reprise 1962: Sinatra–Basie
4. Nice 'n' Easy - Capitol 1960: Nice 'n' Easy
5. Sammy Davis, Jr. with Count Basie – My Shining Hour
6. I've Got You Under My skin (with Count Basie Orchestra) - Live 1966: Sinatra at the Sands
7. Mel Tormé & George Shearing – The Folks Who Live on the Hill
8. Don't Worry 'Bout Me - Live (Carnegie Hall) 1974: Sinatra: New York
9. Luck Be a Lady - Reprise 1963: Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre: Guys and Dolls
10. Too Close for Comfort - Capitol 1958: Come Dance with Me!
11. Joe Williams with Count Basie – Five O'Clock in the Morning Blues
12. The Best Is Yet to Come (with Count Basie) - Reprise 1964: It Might As Well Be Swing
13. Ella Fitzgerald – Born To Be Blue
14. Tony Bennett & Bill Evans – Waltz for Debby
15. John Coltrane – Nancy (with the Laughing Face)
16. Nancy (with the Laughing Face) - Live 1962: The Rat Pack Live at the Villa Venice

[rverdi2837]

The Joe Mantegna episode on 4/27/10 was fantastic! Some of his anecdotes really hit home; many made me think of my folks and grandparents as they first introduced me to this music as a child.

He also shared a great Tony Bennett story as well.

[Leigh Ann]

Rob, you're right - the Tony Bennett story was sweet! I really enjoy hearing stories about singers and songwriters on this show, and what this great music has meant in their lives and in the lives of the guest hosts.

[Donna]

Wow! Joe's show this morning 6-7AM here in CA was just amazing! I was driving over the Altamont pass and watchin the moon to the west going down and the sun in the east coming up when the California anthem was playing. I know how FAS felt singin that one. Almost kept driving right into the city to get coffee but the car took me to Emeryville - oh well.

[jayeff]

I was listening last night and heard a live medley performance of "Very Good Year" intertwined with "Young At Heart", The Girl Next Door, This Is All I Ask and Last Night When We Were Young. Can anyone tell me what concert was this from?? It was fabulous. Never heard it before which made it extra special.

John