THE TENDER TRAP - GIBELLINI, BIRRO, NEGRI

TWENTY-FOUR MELODIES AND OTHER STORIES (CVLD257 )

Author : S. CHAN - J. VAN HEUSEN, C. PORTER, R. RODGERS - L. HART
Performer : S. GIBELLINI, P. BIRRO, M. NEGRI

Notes

JAZZ: original compositions by S. Chan - J. Van Hausen, B. Howard, C. Porter, R. Rodgers - L. Hart. Guitar S. Gibellini, piano P. Birro, sax and clarinet M. Negri. Recorded on January - March 1997.

Old Blue Eyes! When Paolo mentioned the idea of dedicating an album to the great songs brought to success by Frank Sinatra, it was love at first sight. The image of Frank Sinatra is the first I remember of on the television screen: it was the mid-60s and I was maybe six years old. That man with the big ears, with the big 40s-style hat, smiling, sitting on a high stool without a backrest that stood out against the classic “infinite” light gray background, typical of television studios of the time, will always remain in my mind, associated with a pleasant feeling of serenity. Even more so the music that, immediately after the ritual interview, he sang: many years later I realized that it was the splendid “(Love is) The Tender Trap”. As I think everyone knows, Sinatra was not an author, but a splendid interpreter. So unique that in fact it would be natural to indicate the songs he interpreted as "Frank Sinatra's songs", so fundamental is the interpretation to the valorization of the song. So it would have been very difficult if not impossible, in my opinion, and almost a contradiction, to hypothesize a tribute to Frank Sinatra by having others sing "his" songs. The common passion for the "old man with the blue eyes", which evidently links the writer to the splendid interpreters of this album, has therefore made possible a realization that fully respects the spirit of the songs allows not to dare impossible comparisons with The Voice. The final result of the project is certainly not up to me to judge. Or maybe it is... However, what I feel I can affirm is the absolute relaxation, "ease" and sense of pleasure with which the recordings were made. The music flowed magically from the instruments to the point that for many songs just one take was enough: and it was already perfect. So Long Frank!

Analog original recording by TEAC 2-B RTR, at 38cm/sec, at Marco Lincetto's home, Padova, Italy, on January, 26th, 1997 and on March, 16th, 1997.AD digital remastering by Marco Lincetto, using Prism Sound AD-2 Dream at 24bit / 88.2kHz, made at Velut Luna Studios, on June 10th, 2014

Production: Velut Luna
Executive producer, recording and mastering engineer: Marco Lincetto
Photos: Ilenco Tracmot
Graphic Design: The Image

Paolo Birro, piano
Sandro Gibellini, guitar
Mauro Negri, clarinet & tenor saxophone