Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Vocalist Andy Bey Dies at 85
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
Frank Sinatra will be the subject of a new stage musical scheduled for release in 2018.
(Photo: DownBeat Archive)In 2015 music fans around the world celebrated Frank Sinatra’s centennial anniversary. To begin its second century, the legacy of Ol’ Blue Eyes is taking to the stage.
The Ambassador Theatre Group, a major international theater organization with headquarters in New York, London and other cities, has announced that it will produce a stage musical based on the life of the legendary vocalist and DownBeat Hall of Fame inductee, in partnership with Frank Sinatra Enterprises and British producer Stewart Till.
The show, which is planned to open in 2018, will feature a number of hit songs from Sinatra’s illustrious career. Script development for the Sinatra musical is planned to start shortly.
Adam Speers of Ambassador Theatre Group said, “Frank Sinatra was the greatest singer of the 20th century and one of the world’s most iconic show business legends. I’m delighted to be working in partnership with Stewart and Frank Sinatra Enterprises to bring his incredible journey to the stage.”
In a statement, Frank Sinatra Enterprises, a joint venture between the Sinatra family and Warner Music Group, added, “We’re delighted to be collaborating with Ambassador Theatre Group to produce the musical dramatization of Mr. Sinatra’s life and art. Frank Sinatra demonstrated a remarkable ability to appeal to every generation and continues to do so; he is timeless and his artistry continues to influence many of today’s music superstars.”
Throughout his career, Sinatra, who died in 1998 at age 82, performed on more than 1,400 recordings and was awarded numerous platinum, double platinum and triple platinum albums by the Recording Industry Associated of America.
Last year, Capitol Records released Ultimate Sinatra, a deluxe four-CD box set spanning over six decades of the singer’s recorded output.
“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Davis was a two-time Grammy winner for liner notes.
Apr 22, 2025 11:50 AM
Francis Davis, an august jazz and cultural critic who won both awards and esteem in print, film and radio, died April…
“Branford’s playing has steadily improved,” says younger brother Wynton Marsalis. “He’s just gotten more and more serious.”
May 20, 2025 11:58 AM
Branford Marsalis was on the road again. Coffee cup in hand, the saxophonist — sporting a gray hoodie and a look of…
“What did I want more of when I was this age?” Sasha Berliner asks when she’s in her teaching mode.
May 13, 2025 12:39 PM
Part of the jazz vibraphone conversation since her late teens, Sasha Berliner has long come across as a fully formed…
