(PRINCETON, NJ) -- Frank Sinatra was the main topic of conversation at the “Swingin’ Breakfast with Frank and Dean!” at the Nassau Inn in Princeton, NJ on Sunday, October 6, 2019. Mr. Sinatra, known affectionately as The Voice, was remembered fondly by two Sinatra scholars, Charles “Chuck” Granata and Dana Polan, who jointly discussed the man and his music at this entertaining event.
Both guest speakers, Chuck Granata, producer of Nancy Sinatra’s radio program “Nancy For Frank” on the Siriusly Sinatra channel on Sirius-XM Radio, along with Dana Polan, NYU Professor of Cinema Studies, thrilled the crowd with their lively, informative chat.
For over an hour they exchanged anecdotes about Frank Sinatra as well as providing musical interludes.
Chuck Granata wowed the audience when speaking about the classic hit song “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, saying that Frank Sinatra recorded 22 takes for that tune, and 34 takes for “What Is This Thing Called Love.”
Mr. Granata supplied a rare recording of Frank Sinatra singing “As Time Goes By” from the archives of the 1943 Army Hit Kit. A sentimental treat to hear, especially for all the Veterans who attended.
Mr. Polan played “Send in the Clowns” and remarked how well Frank Sinatra made this song his own, which led to the discussion of other songs that Sinatra ‘owned’, a trademark of his throughout his musical career.
Frank’s concept (theme) albums, “In the Wee Small Hours”, “Only the Lonely” and “No One Cares” were mentioned, and how involved Mr. Sinatra was in every aspect of their development, from selecting songs to the design of the album cover.
In a quieter moment, Mr. Granata shared that Frank Sinatra thought that the saddest song he ever sang was “Just One Of Those Things” by Cole Porter. Although Frank sang it upbeat, he felt the lyrics were quite downhearted.
On a lighter note, Dana Polan got a big laugh when he mentioned that his young son told him that he had “show and tell” at school and “someone brought in a large black circle that makes music.” That ‘circle’ his son was speaking of was an album, which is why Dana went on to say that he never assumes that the undergrads he teaches know what an album is!
After the talk concluded, both speakers opened up the floor to questions and comments. Immediately following, a lovely breakfast buffet was served, along with a live performance by a Rat Pack Duo.
The Sinatra inspired event was produced by Karen Morris of Sand Castle Communications.
