Frank Sinatra/ Quincy Jones "Mack The Knife" Session

The last time I posted something on Frank Sinatra it was a big hit, so here's another chestnut. It's a look at the making of "Mack The Knife" with Frank singing with the Quincy Jones Big Band.

The cut is from an album called L.A. Is My Lady, despite the fact that the recording took place in New York City in 1984. It was filmed for a documentary called Frank Sinatra: Portrait of an Album that was released in 1985.

What's cool is it's an all-star band with the likes of George Benson, Lionel Hampton, Steve Gadd, the Brecker brothers, and Ray Brown all laying it down.

One thing to take notice of is the 3 mics on Frank. There's the obvious C12, but also another right behind it and one off to his right side (can't tell the model). Sometimes the one in the front is a decoy with the mic behind it being live to keep the vocalist from getting too close. I can't say if that's the case here, but the sound is great.

By the way, that's Mule Holley, who also played upright bass, doing the scats in the beginning of the song. Also, that looks like Jerry Lewis to Frank's left.

Thanks to my buddy Paul Svenson for the heads up.

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