New Jersey Stage May 2015 | Page 122

INSIDE MUSIC by Rosemary Conte Frank Sinatra’s Ghost It’s been a long time since I was a teen singer and a rabid Sinatra fan studying every detail of his singing. And it’s been a long time since I reflected on what I learned from him. I’m glad I chose Frank as a vocal mentor. For 40 years I’ve taught to others what he taught me…just by listening to him sing. But, honestly, I’ve been so busy keeping up with the changes in music and pop songs that young students want to sing, I haven’t New Jersey Stage given much thought to Ol’ Blue Eyes in recent years. On a gig, I mainly sing the Great American Songbook and jazz tunes, many of which Frank recorded; but it’s been a long time since he’s occupied a prominent space in my mind. That is--- until I attended “Sinatra: An American Icon Symposium” at Monmouth University on May 9. At this wonderful event I listened to panels of music writers and musicians analyzing Frank’s Get A Free Subscription 122