Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
In Memoriam: Jack DeJohnette, 1942–2025
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
Frank Sinatra with the Jan Savitt Orchestra at the Strand Theater in New York, 1945.
(Photo: William “PoPsie” Randolph, from Frank Sinatra—New York, NY 1939–1956)Michael Randolph, son of legendary photographer William “PoPsie” Randolph (1920–’78), has created a limited-edition hardcover book featuring his father’s rare and intimate shots of Frank Sinatra. The 115-page book, which includes images of Sinatra both onstage and off, is available at Amazon.
Many of the photos in Frank Sinatra—New York, NY 1939–1956 have never been published before. In striking detail, they capture the young singer as he begins his ascendant career in New York, first with the bands of Tommy Dorsey and Harry James and later as a superstar vocalist in his own right.
Born William Sezenias to Greek immigrant parents in Manhattan, “PoPsie” Randolph got his start in the music industry as a roadie for Benny Goodman’s band. On Dec. 30, 1942, a young Randolph was at the Paramount Theatre in Times Square when Sinatra, then 27 years old, opened for Goodman’s orchestra. Randolph’s images are the only known photos of that historic performance.
In a foreword to the book, journalist Barry Singer expounds on the fortuitous ways in which Randolph and Sinatra’s careers often intertwined.
“Randolph loved to follow Frank Sinatra around; from the get-go, Sinatra may have been his favorite camera subject,” he writes. “As a result, PoPsie Randolph was in the right place at the right time—as he would be again and again in a photo-taking career that would ultimately encompass four decades and every important personality, from swing to rock ’n’ roll.
“Looking at his photographs today of young Sinatra, you can see all of the kid’s history in his expression and in his body language; the cocky assurance and the fidgety fella from Hoboken, the innate star and the raw rookie … .”
For more information on Frank Sinatra—New York, NY 1939–1956, visit popsiephotos.com.
Jack DeJohnette boasted a musical resume that was as long as it was fearsome.
Oct 28, 2025 10:47 AM
Jack DeJohnette, a bold and resourceful drummer and NEA Jazz Master who forged a unique vocabulary on the kit over his…
“Think of all the creative people I’m going to meet and a whole other way of thinking about music and a challenge of singing completely different material than I would have sung otherwise to my highest level in dedication to the moment,” Elling says about his Broadway run.
Sep 9, 2025 1:18 PM
Kurt Elling was back at home in Chicago, grabbing some family time in a late-June window between gigs. Sporting a smile…
Pat Metheny will perform with his Side-Eye III ensemble at Big Ears 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee, next March.
Sep 9, 2025 12:19 PM
Big Ears has announced the lineup for its 2026 festival, which will take place March 26–29 and include 250…
“[That’s] the thing of the beboppers,” Bradford said. “These guys were important for not only playing that wonderful music, but they knew a sort of social stance, you see?”
Sep 9, 2025 1:07 PM
It was a calm, balmy, near-perfect evening in Westwood, California, not far from UCLA, in the expansive courtyard at…
Esperanza Spalding closed an audacious Chicago Jazz Festival set with “Endangered Species.”
Sep 9, 2025 11:50 AM
The 45th Chicago Jazz Festival kicked off its headline events with two erudite individuals, Esperanza Spalding and…
