I am a huge fan of Sinatra. The man, the music, the persona- I like all of it. As many of you know, there was a recent 4 hour HBO special on Frank that was just superb. The live footage and the tracks they chose to play were masterful selections, some of which I had not heard before. The quality of the comments and the people chosen to make those comment were all top drawer. (It didn't hurt that they often featured comments by Terry Teachout, who, IMHO , is the most gifted music critic of our time.) I could go on about the HBO special for some time, but that's not the point I'd like to make here.
Rather, on Tueday night of this past week Bob Dylan appeared on the Dave Letterman show and sang a song form his new album which, shockingly, is, of jazz standards. I recently heard him interviewed and he naturally pays deep homage to Sinatra. Unfortunately, it would have served all of us much better if he didn't attempt to sing the songs that Sinatra made famous. It was an embarrassment. Here's a guy that can' sing well to begin with, making a fool of himself on national TV. C'mon Bob, give us a break. If you want to sing "Masters of War", I'm there for you. But don't make a mockery of some of the most beloved jazz standards of all time by attempting to sing them - EVER. Surely you can satisfy your fans at the end of your long and great career without making an ass of yourself. Anybody else feel this way? Maybe it's me, but if I never see the words Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan again in the same sentence, it will be way too soon!
Rather, on Tueday night of this past week Bob Dylan appeared on the Dave Letterman show and sang a song form his new album which, shockingly, is, of jazz standards. I recently heard him interviewed and he naturally pays deep homage to Sinatra. Unfortunately, it would have served all of us much better if he didn't attempt to sing the songs that Sinatra made famous. It was an embarrassment. Here's a guy that can' sing well to begin with, making a fool of himself on national TV. C'mon Bob, give us a break. If you want to sing "Masters of War", I'm there for you. But don't make a mockery of some of the most beloved jazz standards of all time by attempting to sing them - EVER. Surely you can satisfy your fans at the end of your long and great career without making an ass of yourself. Anybody else feel this way? Maybe it's me, but if I never see the words Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan again in the same sentence, it will be way too soon!