[78-L] Early studio singers - question

[Julian Vein]

On 10/12/11 21:13, Jeff Sultanof wrote:
> Sinatra could not read music, and he was another singer who learned songs
> from his musical director or others. For instance, Sammy Cahn introduced
> him to songs he was previously unaware of (I Don't Stand a Ghost of a
> Chance and Street of Dreams are two examples that Sinatra himself
> mentioned). He could also sense a melody line from sheet music by watching
> the lines go up and down.
>
> He was a huge opera fan, and he came to know a lot of symphonic music as
> well; meetings with Nelson Riddle would consist of Frank describing the
> type of accompaniment he wanted with regard to tempo and backgrounds, even
> saying that in an introduction, he wanted a similar sound to a work by
> Brahms, which he would name.
>
> He turned out to be a fine conductor. Riddle commented that he could stand
> on a podium, give the musicians a look, and they followed. If he didn't
> like something, his piercing stare would precede telling the musicians what
> he wanted.
>
> Several musicians have told me that if he'd had some real musical training,
> who knows what he could have done.
>
> Jeff Sultanof
> _______________________________________________
>
Yeah, he could have become a half-decent singer!

      Julian Vein