Maps of Music

Francis A. & Edward K. (1967)

Where the lyrics of Francis A. & Edward K. take you, and where it was really made.

Sinatra and Ellington's big band recorded this album in two short afternoon sessions, yet only one Ellington original made it onto the final track list.

Key places

Two afternoon sessions at Western Recorders (1967)

Recording site EastWest Studios — The album was recorded at Western Recorders in Hollywood on 11 and 12 December 1967, in afternoon sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Francis A. & Edward K. is an album by Frank Sinatra with Duke Ellington and his big band
• Released by Reprise Records in 1967
• Eight tracks: Follow Me, Sunny, All I Need Is the Girl, Indian Summer, I Like the Sunrise, Yellow Days, Poor Butterfly, Come Back to Me
• Sonny Burke is credited as producer, Lee Herschberg as engineer, and Ed Thrasher for art direction

Background

• The original plan was to record a mix of standards and originals
• Only one original, Ellington's I Like the Sunrise, was used in the end
• Billy May wrote the arrangements and conducted the band
• Performers include Cootie Williams and Cat Anderson on trumpet, Lawrence Brown on trombone, Paul Gonsalves and Jimmy Hamilton on tenor saxophone, Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone, and Harry Carney on baritone saxophone
• Duke Ellington plays piano, and Sam Woodyard plays drums

Recording

• Recorded at Western Recorders in Hollywood over two sessions
• Session one: Monday 11 December 1967, 1 to 6 P.M., covering tracks 3, 4, 6 and 8
• Session two: Tuesday 12 December 1967, 1 to 5 P.M., covering tracks 1, 2, 5 and 7
• Almost all performances are at a slow tempo; Come Back to Me is the exception

Cover

• Ed Thrasher is credited for art direction

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Italian immigrants.
• Began singing professionally as a teenager with the Hoboken Four, winning Major Bowes Amateur Hour.
• Joined Harry James's band in 1939, then Tommy Dorsey's band, before going solo in 1942.

Career

• Signed with Columbia Records in 1943 and became a major star of the bobby-soxer era.
• Signed with Capitol Records in 1953; collaborated with arranger Nelson Riddle on albums such as In the Wee Small Hours and Songs for Swingin' Lovers!.
• Founded Reprise Records in 1960, releasing albums including September of My Years and the hit single "My Way".
• Won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for From Here to Eternity (1953).
• Estimated to have sold around 150 million records worldwide.
• Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997.
• Died May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• AllMusic reviewer: both Sinatra and the Ellington band gave uneven performances
• HiFiStereo Review gave the album its Best Of The Month review in the May 1968 edition
• Reviewer Peter Reilly wrote that two fine musicians at the peak of their powers made an album twice as youthful and carefree and unpretentious as most people less than half their age

Reappraisal

• Jonathan Scull included the album in his 1996 list in the yearly Stereophile feature Records To Die For
• Scull praised the enormous recorded acoustic, a confident Sinatra, and the restrained yet exuberant Billy May arrangements
• Dan Morgenstern assigned the album 4 stars in his DownBeat review
• Morgenstern wrote that the record grows on you with repeated listening
• He felt Sinatra was not in top voice on every track, and that relaxed tempos dominate the album
• He singled out contributions by Cootie Williams, Paul Gonsalves, and Johnny Hodges
• He called Indian Summer the album's masterpiece and one of Sinatra's most impressive efforts in recent years

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The original plan was a mix of standards and originals, but only one original, Ellington's I Like the Sunrise, was used.
• Nearly every performance is taken at a slow tempo, with Come Back to Me as the exception.
• The album was recorded across two short afternoon sessions at Western Recorders in Hollywood.
• DownBeat's Dan Morgenstern singled out Indian Summer as the album's masterpiece.
• Jonathan Scull put the album on his 1996 Records To Die For list for Stereophile.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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