Broadway star and jazz singer Nicolas King is celebrating the life and music of Johnny Mandel (who passed away at age 94 on June 29th) and Frank Sinatra, with a concert tonight, Wednesday, July 1 at 7 PM. Presented by Rhode Island’s Sardella’s and with Mike Renzi at the piano, the event streams live on Facebook and Instagram.
Says King, “With Broadway announcing a potential reopening in 2021, all of us in the arts are faced with the challenge of wondering when in the world we’ll get back to work, I just wanted to invite you to watch (if you’re bored like me and looking for something to do) a free ‘concert‘ I’m doing live tributing Johnny Mandel and Frank Sinatra, two legendary artists. I just wanted to share something positive with my fellow artists and friends.”
Johnny Mandel, the five-time Grammy recipient and Oscar and Emmy Award winner, was a composer, arranger, instrumentalist and record producer who was steeped in musical achievement. As a teenager, Mandel was a member of Joe Venuti’s orchestra, followed by employment as a player and/or arranger in bands led by Henry Jerome, Buddy Rich, Jimmy Dorsey, Woody Herman and Artie Shaw. He became an arranger and composer for radio and TV, while playing trombone and writing arrangements for the Count Basie Orchestra. In 1954 he began arranging sessions for stars like Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Mel Tormé, Jo Stafford, Tony Bennett, Chet Baker and Andy Williams. Hollywood film assignments followed, among them the scores for The Sandpiper, M*A*S*H*, Being There and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. Mandel-composed standards include “The Shadow of Your Smile,” “Emily,” “Where Do You Start?” and “Close Enough for Love.”
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