Simply Sinatra

I am back from another evening out in Hawrelak Park for the Symphony under the Sky festival. Tonight's program was full of classic Sinatra tunes such as Witchcraft, I've Got You Under My Skin, The Way You Look Tonight, Fly Me to the Moon, Lucky Be a Lady, and My Way. Steve Lippia was the soloist to carry off these classics crooner ballads and you could easily tell he was in his musical niche. It was also fun to hear the ESO playing Big Band style. They were able to carry it off but sometimes it is funny to see a bunch of serious looking musicians dressed up in formal concert wear playing swinging tunes. You know that the bearded stoic-looking trumpet player is having a good time but it's not visually apparent. It also made me smile when I saw the trap set player wearing a tux. I'm used to seeing skinny boy rockers behind the drums but this player's formal look and attire seemed delightfully foreign to me.

It is hard for me to comment too much on the performance itself because it was just so... pleasing. There was nothing that really jolted and fueled me musically but it was just an enjoyable evening. It left me without much of an opinion. Please don't take this as a bad thing... sometimes it's nice not having to think too hard about music.

The banter between his songs was also cute. He remarked that on his second anniversary the couple at the table next to them were celebrating their anniversary as well, however, it was their 52nd anniversary. In addition, the man had a bit of advice for Lippia. The reason that they were still together after 52 years years is because they go out for dinner twice every week. He goes on Tuesday and she goes on Thursday. You could tell he had these stories well rehearsed. He also commented on how US Airways lost his luggage for a week of shows and how he had to rent a tuxedo that looked like it had been used for 250 proms in the past month. This was the introduction story to "Come Fly with Me." His overall particular brand of comedy... how should I say it... was definitely geared towards a more... mature demographic :)

Lippia was cheeky and charming but what really got him going was when he was commenting on how there was no more romance in music nowadays and that the era of the songwriter has been lost. I agree to some extent, but music is always continually changing and we, as listeners, have to change and recognize new forms since if we were always singing the same thing, what is the point of exploring other musical realms? Sure, there is definitely more to sift through these days and music varies greatly in quality, but is that necessarily a bad thing? I don't think so. Music should be continuously changing and we should question and challenge what our feelings towards music are at any given point. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section!















There was one song "Send in the Clowns," which definitely peaked my interest since this was the melody of one of my childhood toys. I never knew the name of the song until today! I'm sure some of you had this generic wind-up clown toy as well. You twist the dial and "Send in the Clowns" plays as the clown rotates its head. Yes, I know it sounds creepy, especially if you have a clown phobia, but it just made me happy to hear a jingle from my childhood. My dad bought the clown for me after a trip he made without me and I still have the clown today. I used to wind up the toy when he had to work late so I could fall asleep to the gentle melody. I think I will be doing the same this evening.

Take care everybody and I will report back tomorrow as the Symphony Under the Sky wraps up in the afternoon!