Some of Frank Sinatra’s greatest hits will be sung once again at the Southern Theatre Thursday through Sunday. Credit: Michael Napolitano | Lantern Reporter
The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus will present a twist on songs from Ol’ Blue Eyes during “Sinatra!” Thursday through Sunday.
Jazz singer and pianist Tony DeSare will join the Columbus Jazz Orchestra as they cover hits from legendary crooner Frank Sinatra at the Southern Theatre, located at 21 E. Main St. Byron Stripling, conductor of the orchestra, said DeSare truly encapsulates the spirit of Sinatra through his music.
“There are three ways we approach learning and appreciate jazz,” Stripling said. “The first one is where you imitate an artist; the second is where you assimilate everything they have put together as an artist, along with other things that you love; and the final one is to innovate, and you become an innovator by finding your own voice. That is what Tony has done.”
Stripling said he considers “Sinatra!” to be more than just a cover performance of the singer’s music because the orchestra plays his music in its own style, making it distinct from the originals.
“If you have a song you like, we try to figure out how that would work in the context of a jazz orchestra because jazz is about making a unique impression,” Stripling said.
Zach Compston, executive director of programming and education at the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus, said Sinatra was an American icon who acted as a connector between the pop culture and musical sides of jazz.
“He was beloved as a movie and pop culture icon and was a star to the greater world but, at the same time, was right there alongside Harry James’s Orchestra and Count Basie’s Orchestra,” Compston said. “He was really a musician’s musician first but brought the music to a worldwide acclaim through his pop culture lens as well.”
One of the main goals of the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus is to teach and engage the community about and with jazz, Compston said. Frank Sinatra’s popularity and music provides the group with an opportunity to engage with members of the broader public who may know about Sinatra but not as much about jazz, he said.
“As a jazz organization aiming to engage the community as effectively as we can, ‘Sinatra!’ presents a great opportunity to bring in those folks that know Sinatra and his music, and they get to experience it live with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra,” Compston said. “It’s kind of a no-brainer whenever you have the opportunity to use the acclaim and notoriety of an artist like Frank Sinatra.”
Stripling said those who attend the performance will be able to share and experience Sinatra’s music together as a community, and the audience’s interaction with the orchestra will lend itself to an even better performance.
“The theater is a sacred place — almost like a church to me — because all of the music that has happened there in the past that has done well still remains there, so spiritually, there’s something great about entering a concert hall,” Stripling said. “The feelings that music and art invoke in people motivate people and imbue them with hope.”
The artists presented by the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus go into local schools to work with students in jazz bands, Compston said. DeSare is one of the artists who will soon be visiting Whetstone High School and Westerville South High School as part of the program.
“Part of our mission is advancing the music through performance and education, and these shows blend both of those,” Compston said. “So you may come and see a show, but you may not realize that during the week there are students out in the community that benefited from these artists as well.”
Tickets for “Sinatra!” start at $14, and more information about showtimes can be found on the Jazz Art Group’s website.
