[SomeCallMeTim]

I’ve seen Andrea and Freddie live. Never had the pleasure of seeing Sinatra.

Frankly, I’ve only become a Sinatra fan in the past 3 or 4 years. I listened to some of his music on a Delta flight to Brazil and fell in love. His style and phrasing are remarkable while seeming effortless. He also has a much wider range than most people realize. I’m just in awe of the man’s talent.

[Albion Wilde]

Not only was Sinatra gifted with talent and a beautiful vocal instrument, he truly invented the "conversational" and emotional pacing of lyrics that made them so arrestingly personal and appealing. He worked much harder at developing his voice and phrasing than most people realized. But that was the point, wasn't it? To make it sound effortless, the way an ice skater looks like she or he is just gliding and spinning so easily, after having practiced for thousands of hours on hard ice, shivering and falling and cutting oneself on the blades or toe picks.