RAT PACK JAZZ BLOG - FRANK LAMPHERE

Singer Frank Lamphere was in studio at C.R.C  yesterday, to record a jingle that will be heard over the radio airwaves in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The tune “Stan’s, Where Fashion Fits” with an exciting big band arrangement, was written, arranged and produced by the very talented Terry Sweet of Terry Sweet & Associates. The one minute jingle featured some very known Chicago musicians including: trumpeters Bobby Lewis and Ron Friedman  the sound engineering by Chris Steinmetz. The song will be used as part of a Spring advertising campaign for Stan’s - Fit For Your Feet  a family owned chain of shoe stores in Milwaukee.  

Lamphere, based in the Chicago, who has done several weddings and private parties in Milwaukee was delighted to be a part of this project.

Dean Martin More Popular Than Ever!

Each year since his death in 1995 there seems to be more and more “Dean Martin” everywhere you look. Infomercials by Guthy-Renker pushing the Best of the Dean Martin Variety Shows and the Celebrity Roasts, biographies (including those by his children Deana and Ricci), Dino’s songs used in commercials and Super Bowls, a very recent posthumous duets cd release, Martin and Lewis movies in boxed sets, a biographical Hollywood film about the phenomenal Martin and Lewis comedy team, and reports that re-releases of classic Dean Martin albums from the 1950s and ’60s are selling in droves. What’s going on here? Is the world finally realizing something that we Dean Martin fans have always known? That great talent and great recordings can survive all the musical trends and sound as good to today’s listeners, as they did to our parents and grandparents. Just look at Tony Bennett who at 81, is perhaps more relevant today than he was fifty years ago during his hit making years, thanks to his continuing devotion to singing quality songs in a style that has few practitioners. I continually read how this celebrity and that celebrity refer to Dean Martin as “The King of Cool”, or how he was “The Very Definition of Cool” etc… I would like to briefly discuss Dean Martin’s vocal quality and singing style. And take the dialogue beyond “cool”.

What is it that makes Dean Martin’s singing so appealing?

As a singer, Dean posessed a magnificently beautiful voice. The rich tone that eminated in the familiar baritone was perfectly suited for such early ‘50s ballads as: You Belong To Me, I’ll Always Love You, and Where Can I Go Without You. According to historians, Dean had a way of phrasing that borrowed from both Bing Crosby and Harry Mills (Mills Brothers). It is necessary to say that it was also very Mediterranean. In fact, Dean “defined” Mediterranean more so than any other Italian-American vocalist of his generation. Vocalists like Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Don Cornell, Vic Damone, Jerry Vale, Tony Bennett and others couldn’t hold a candle to just how musically “Italian”, Dean Martin was.

The Dean Martin style consisted of slightly behind the beat phrasing with a natural bouncing quality that he used on easy swing and Dixieland numbers. There was the smooth yet heavy legato phrasing when a lyric needed a dramatic effect. There was the one-of-a-kind trilling he used in most of his recordings (approached in naturalness and quality only by that of Bing Crosby) that had such a great appeal to this writer.

Dean was a showman who had a natural charisma and wit to go along with his vocal abilities. He looked good when he sang. He was a handsome, tailored troubadour. He was a personality with the act of a carefree-boozer that was given credence by the borderline vocal slurs that were a big part of his 1960’s singing style (Everybody Loves Somebody, The Door Is Still Open To My Heart, and Lay Some Happiness On Me). Likeable, believable, adored by women and admired by men. And unlike contemporaries Frank Sinatra and Mel Tormé, Dean, had a way of working that didn’t appear to take the performance too seriously. Whether developed or innate this stage manner seemed to tell the listeners “Hey, I’m no better than you. I just happen to be up hear singing”. Probably unbeknownst to the audience, this aloofness had great appeal.

It was the afore mentioned qualities: the voice, the style, the manner, and the years of hard work in clubs and on the road, in the formative part of his career and undoubtably surrounding himself with the “right” people, that made Dean Martin such a musical success and successful in all other aspects of show business.

Fortunately, the fact that Dean Martin remains so admired and so commercial, will assure us that the products (recordings, movies, television shows, books etc…) will continue to flow, keeping all of the legions of us “Dino fans” happy, while a whole new generation discovers the great talent and musical magic found in Dean Martin’s recordings.

-FrankLamphere

Chicago based singer-songwriter Frank Lamphere, of Rat Pack Enterprises LLC a musical publisher and entertainment company specialized in providing retro pop and jazz music for corporate and private events, can be found at www.ratpackjazz.com.

Frank Lamphere info@ratpackjazz.com
www.ratpackjazz.com

Singer-songwriter Frank Lamphere will appear at Jilly’s Naperville 103 S. Main St. Naperville, il. 630-355-1001

on Friday, March 14 and Saturday, April 05. Shows start at 8 p.m. Backed by his usual Rat Pack Jazz Trio, on 3/14

special guest artist will be renown sax man Eric Schneider. Schneider, who was with the Count Basie Band for several years

in the early eighties is a regular with Lamphere on “jobbing” dates. Eric is also a fixture at Andy’s Jazz Club on Hubbard in Chicago as well as

an integral part of bandleader/trombonist Bill Porter’s Big band on Wednesdays at Green Dolphin Street, also in the city.

The rousing cheers from the sellout crowd at the Jumpin’ Jazz Ballroom in Milan, Italy on January 12 summed it up. Italians love the American songbook especially, when interpreted by a real “live” American singer, and that singer was Frank Lamphere. Lamphere who had sang three sets was already backstage when the crowd insisted on an encore. The dance floor filled again as Frank sent them home humming the melody to Hoagy Carmichael’s Stardust. Plans for a return engagement and an extended tour are in negotiations. 

Frank Lamphere no stranger to Europe, heads to Northern Italy to perform with the Jumpin’ Jazz Band.

On Saturday January 12, at the Jumpin’ Jazz Ballroom in Milan, Chicago based singer-songwriter Frank Lamphere

will be the special musical guest. Exited about bringing his trademark Rat Pack Jazz to Italy, Frank hopes that this particular

trip will be the first of many to come.

Looking For A Frank Sinatra Imitator For Your Party?

There was only one “Chairman of the Board”. Most of the pop and jazz music authorities agree that Frank Sinatra was an innovator, a stylistic genius, a musical communicator, and hundreds of other “things”. There is no shortage of essays and texts written about Sinatra, perhaps the most influential singer of the twentieth century. There is also no shortage of Frank Sinatra imitators and look-a-likes. It would seem obvious why so many would seek to emulate Frank Sinatra. Certainly it comes from the pure awe and respect of his legend, musical artistry and musical legacy that they so frequently don the tux and fedora. It probably doesn’t hurt also that being in costume aides in masking the musical shortcomings and inadequacies that most of the karaoke Sinatra’s possess. To be Sinatra for even a minute, is an impossible undertaking! Amateurish at it’s most profound!

Live Music Is The Only Way

People in professional music circles understand the concept of creation and improvisation. A virtuoso pianist or any artist for that matter would probably not perform a note for note solo at the same musical passage, during every performance. It would become tiresome and after all, an artist needs to continue the creative process. An artist worth his salt must improve on his works by phrasing something slightly different or at times completely recreating the composition. This is the nature and definition of an artist and is especially relevant to the jazz musician. This is one of the reasons why jazz and music played in this vein (when played right) is special. It’s the unknown, the uncharted, the original, the moment. This is not possible by any means other than spontaneous performance (as opposed to prerecorded backgrounds). Anything else is imitation. The magic in Frank Sinatra’s choice recordings is there in the recordings. There were at times, numerous takes of a particular song before the right combination of factors presented themselves. When, they all came together, a great recording was made. They never sounded quite the same when he sang them at his live performances. They weren’t supposed to. Not that there was anything wrong with the live versions (in fact some live performances undoubtably superceded the studio versions of the same songs) they were simply different versions.

Frank Sinatra Imitators By The Dozens

The web is filled with men who think they can fill the shoes of Frank Sinatra by singing the songs to identical arrangements that Sinatra used and in the identical manner. First of all, about 3 in 100 has the voice. Therefore, 97 in 100 don’t. Second, they are using prerecorded tracks (no band or orchestra). These tracks are often made with electronic instruments that don’t even come close to sounding like the instruments they were intended on substituting. How uninspiring and unexciting! There can be little spontaneity by the vocalist when they are locked into this framework. Lastly, one becomes a professional with intensive study and from working regularly at his chosen profession. There are truly few performing opportunities for a singer to become proficient at commanding a band or a crowd of attentive listeners, aside from the karaoke bars that now dominate the landscape.

The Solution: Frank Lamphere Singing Frank Sinatra

Enter Chicago based vocalist Frank Lamphere. Frank, with a massive repertoire (in excess of 2000 songs) sings the majority of the Frank Sinatra catalogue. While admittedly dabbling in the karaoke scene for several years, Frank, also found the opportunities few and far between to be invited to “sit in” with established wedding and bar bands. The breakthrough finally came in 1995 while “on the town” Frank, happened into a piano bar and was “knocked out” by the singing and the stage presence of the patrons. One at a time they took their turns singing their renditions of traditional American standards being accompanied by a hard working piano player. Frank became one of those singing patrons and soon after was a main attraction at piano bars all over the city. This was a formative period for Lamphere who within a couple of years was putting his own bands together and working the club scene. Recordings and more lucrative jobs followed as he honed his style and voice all the while developing a name for himself not just as a very proficient singer but also as a capable bandleader. Today, having a very busy schedule of performance dates, he has taken his vocalizing still to another level on par with the singers of the great pop music era of the 1930-60’s. Frank’s vocal prowess, combined with an uncanny knowledge of old pop & jazz music, the skill at knowing “what to play” and when to play it and the business sense to put it all together, is an absolutely unbeatable formula for maximum musical success for any event. For pricing and availability to perform for your event or organization phone Frank today at 630-202-4887

Vocalist Frank Lamphere, backstage at a recent Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme concert. Frank is pictured with Steve & Eydie’s guitarist Al Caiola (famed recording artist heard on such recordings as Bonanza and The Magnificent Seven) and drummer Chuck Christiansen. Chuck, a Chicago area resident, in addition to being the “resident drummer” for Steve & Eydie, has toured with many of the big name vocalists including: Vic Damone, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra Jr. and even Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. Frank Lamphere’s website is found at www.ratpackjazz.com

Frank Lamphere’s Rat Pack Jazz Blog. Frank Lamphere is a versatile singer who performs all over the U.S and Europe, a scholar of pre-1960 American popular music, a songwriter who has written well received lyrics and music to a handful of songs in the vein of the great melody masters like Mancini and Van Heusen, a music contractor who puts together shows handles his own bookings, and a music publisher and member of A.S.C.A.P.

This blog is intended to promote quality music in both live performance and recorded form. It is also the intention of the blog to stimulate interest and educate the readers (who may not be familiar) with the wonderful, vibrant, and important songs and artists of the past.

Add songwriter to Frank Lamphere’s list of credits. That’s right, Frank has written his first song. (music and lyrics) As odd as it may seem, the song came to Frank in a dream. The song will be registered and then recorded in the Spring of 2008. The smokin’ uptempo piece will feature an allstar big band. Although we can’t yet go into details, we can tell you that the song has to do with a large metropolitan area and that hopes are high on this song becoming a modern classic. More to follow in the weeks ahead. Check out Frank Lamphere’s website at www.ratpackjazz.com