Ten albums by Sinatra and a few associated memories. Part Six

10. Sinatra at the Sands. Reprise 1966 arr. Quincy Jones. A double album that has Frank, backed by the Basie band, wowing the well-heeled punters in what was then the hottest ticket in Vegas.  Who cared if they'd blown the housekeeping, maybe even the house, at the tables? It was worth it when they were getting a show like this in return!

The Basie boys swung as they always did but it was Frank who the folks were there to hear and he didn't disappoint.

To some folks JSB stands for Johann Sebastian Bach but this night and, many others, it stood for Jones, Sinatra, Basie - each one, in their own way, the Bach of their era.

Strangely, great as the music is, initially, it was the Sinatra monologue that first knocked me out. His recounting of his early days, delivered with the timing of a stand-up comedian tells us much more about the man than the later My Way did.

He wasn't ready to face the final curtain yet.

Lance