Glenn Zottola - Classic Arrangements (2015)

Tracklist

01. Teach Me Tonight
02. Angel Eyes
03. Come Rain or Come Shine
04. You Make Me Feel so Young
05. Don't Worry 'bout Me
06. Try a Little Tenderness
07. If I Should Lose You
08. Autumn in Ny
09. Street of Dreams


Any album that pays homage to the music associated with the “Chairman of the Board,” must be carefully designed for Frank Sinatra is a one-of-kind icon leaving his mark on American culture and history. Glenn Zottola’s Alto/Sinatra does exactly that, performing the music of Sinatra in an instrumental album where the saxophonist plays the featured role, a vocal role of sorts, fitting within his concept of “singing through the horn,” where on this album - through his alto saxophone voice - Zottola becomes Sinatra. Zottola grew up in a musical family listening to Sinatra and watching his TV
shows during the 60s. The voicing through the horn concept of this album was born in the early years where his father, a classical music conductor, played opera music at home leaving an impact on the young future musician.

Alto saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker served as one of Zottola’s main influences throughout his career, leading to his tribute album Reflections of Charlie Parker but, it was Parker’s playing in big band settings that inspired Zottola to integrate this approach to the Sinatra project. Thus is born Alto/Sinatra, an instrumental jazz album of music from the Sinatra songbook. The main feature: an alluring lead alto saxophone, the support: an amazing big band topped off by an occasional string section - all producing a sophisticated mature jazz sound that the Chairman himself would be proud of.

Zottola is one of the few jazz musicians to have had the pleasure of performing with Sinatra and did so on television playing alongside saxophonist Tommy Newsome, trumpeter Edward “Snooky” Young and the entire Tonight Show NBC Orchestra in a one-session dream come true. Deciding what to record from the lengthy Sinatra repertoire was not easy however, noting that Sinatra used some of the greatest arrangers for his music, Zottola chose a few of the legend’s greatest hits with arrangements from such song masters like Nelson Riddle, Quincy Jones, Billy May, Don Costa and Torrie Zito.

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